The Ties That Bind Us
by SalaciousSymphonies
Summary: In a world on the brink of destruction, the only hope a group of friends have to try and save themselves - and the world - from the insurmountable odds is to remember what brought them together in the first place and the bonds they share. Rewritten and reposted, rated M for language and various adult themes, real world sci-fi AU.
1. Prologue

**Hey there, folks! Panda's back from what was a shorter than expected hiatus. As it turns out, I went ahead and started rewriting Ties so I could get it where I wanted it before I started posting again, and before I knew it I had the prologue finished. So, since I'm a great deal happier with how the story's looking, I decided to go ahead and start posting it again on a biweekly schedule. So, to readers both new and old, welcome to The Ties That Bind Us. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a review or send me a PM. ^^**

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The only sounds in the bunker were a discordant chorus of electronic beeps and the furious clatter of keys as deft fingers danced over the keyboard entering commands as quickly as could be managed. Seeing how this had been her life for the past twenty-nine years the keystrokes came as easy as breathing, maybe even easier. Unfortunately it wasn't difficult for much to be more of a struggle than breathing within the confines of the fallout bunker; even after all this time the concrete prison had a way of making her feel as claustrophobic as ever. All she could do to prevent wasting even more precious time on another emotional breakdown or panic attack was to focus on her work and avoid distraction at all costs. And the isolation certainly hadn't helped any as her only companions were a single timeworn photograph and a young brunette who spent the vast majority of her time in a unique sort of suspended animation, meaning that she wasn't necessarily the best in a conversation.

As her thoughts wandered to the brunette her eyes did as well, reflexively tucking a few stray strands of long-silvered dirty blonde hair behind her ear in the process. Her gaze came to rest on the stasis unit the unconscious young woman was being held in, squinting against the harsh orange glow it cast on the dimly lit workspace. Within the tube of the stasis chamber the brunette floated in an incredibly thick ad nutrient-rich suspension fluid with her eyes closed and her flowing hair fanned out behind her in uneven tendrils. The young woman's nose and mouth were shielded from the liquid by a specialized medical mask designed specifically for use in submersion tanks. A number of tubes and intravenous lines had been affixed to her limbs, chest, and a few other areas on her back to handle primary nutrient delivery and the management of other bodily processes. Those were meshed together with a series of electrodes on her chest and head to monitor heart rate and brain activity.

Blue eyes glossed over the placard she had made from some materials she hadn't really found a purpose for aside from that. 'Alexis' was the name the brunette had been given, something pulled from the recesses of her mind with a root in her childhood. The floating young woman's fingers began to twitch and the woman observing her couldn't help but smile. It was the simple things, little moments like that when it was almost easy to forget that they were the lone survivors of the end of the world.

Before the apocalypse Bonnibel Barton had been a brilliant physics student well on her way to her doctorate. In fact, she had just been accepted for a rather prestigious internship that had her on the fast-track to greatness. She had a loving family, good close friends, aspirations, a _life_...And nearly thirty years later she found herself standing in a cramped fallout bunker that she had made both home and office, staring fondly at what she felt was mankind's last best chance for survival.

With a despondent sigh Bonnibel turned back to her work. With her attention focused on her computer she was able to quickly finishing entering the complex series of commands meant to execute functions among the other computers and machines around the bunker. If everything went according to plan then perhaps the destruction and carnage that she had been unfortunate enough to witness would never happen. If she had accounted for every variable then maybe, just _maybe_ there was a chance that all of the death caused by what could only be called nuclear Armageddon could be avoided...that her loved ones could be saved…

Bonnibel reached out a trembling hand and picked up the faded and timeworn picture she kept propped on the corner of the screen of her main computer. A single tear managed to squeeze its way through her emotional dam and slid down her cheek as she scanned the faces of loved ones forever frozen in warm, honest smiles as they posed for the camera. Missing them was the worst pain she could imagine and had it been the driving force behind the entire scheme Bonnibel had devised to try and save everything she loved. It was why she willed herself to keep going, keep living, and to keep working – even if that meant pushing her ethical limits to their boundaries and possibly violating serious laws that would never have gone unpunished in the old world.

' _This isn't the old world, though, is it?_ ' Bonnibel thought bitterly.

Her moment of sadness turned to anger just as quickly as the world had ended as soon as the first of the bombs started to fall. It was as fresh in Bonnibel's mind as if it had happened just the day prior. As if the initial destruction of the thousands of nuclear warheads being detonated hadn't been enough, the radiation had been pushed to otherwise untouched areas across the globe via air currents, resulting in complete and total surface contamination. Nobody had really stood a chance.

The bombs had only been the coup de grace. The worst part of the end of the world had come well before the first nuke had been launched in the form of hellish monsters that started to literally spring up mostly within the city of Reno. They were vicious, bestial things that scrambled on all fours and ripped into their victims with a maw full of razor-sharp fangs. And for every victim they claimed it meant that yet another monster was added to their ranks, for each person they killed rose again as a twisted shade of the person they had once been. As terrifying as their almost human appearance was the real horror came in their sheer numbers. The creatures themselves were unintelligent and showed nothing more than basic reasoning skills, though a few did seem to be able to effectively mimic human behavior and speech. Though really, despite their acts of savagery nothing could be blamed on them. Guilt lay with the man behind the mob, the only other possible survivor that Bonnibel could think of, the monster who had orchestrated the end of the world.

Bonnibel shook her head so hard to clear her stray thoughts that she had to quickly grip the side of her desk to prevent herself from falling over. The dizziness pushed the urgency of the scientist's time constraint to the forefront of her mind. Her body was on the verge of succumbing to a combination of starvation, dehydration, and what she suspected were health issues associated with exposure to concentrated gamma radiation over a prolonged period of time. Her food stores had finally run out the week before, though the woman hadn't had a proper meal in as long as she could remember, and the last of the water had been used days prior. Those twenty-nine years had taken their toll on Bonnibel and when she tore herself away from her diligent work to get what little sleep she could, she wasn't able to ignore the results of her age and circumstances on her body. Even in her isolation the woman still felt self-conscious when she happened to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. In her youth Bonnibel had been fit, a bit soft around the edges but healthy nonetheless. Now she more resembled a skeleton draped in a sheet of loose skin that was riddled with a map of wrinkles. That insecurity only deepened when she began to compare herself to Alexis.

Once more blocking out errant thoughts, Bonnibel channeled her memories of the past, of her friends, and of everything she stood to lose as she steeled herself and walked over to a second computer she had running. The woman began to open up numerous directories until finding the one she needed. A notification flashed on the screen requesting a password be entered using voice input. Bonnibel grabbed the radio handset she had re-purposed for this exact reason and spoke.

"Addendum to start-up protocol in the event neural security sequences activate: Voice only: Initiate at boot: Access code B25B-dash-M26A-dash-GMWP." She paused and watched as the computer processed the information and authorized access to the directory. Once it was finished Bonnibel cleared her throat, keyed her handset, and continued.

"I'm recording this message as a backup measure in case something goes wrong. I don't see why that should happen, but not even I'm perfect, so...Yeah. I'd like to apologize for initiating everything earlier than I'd planned. It puts us at a higher risk in a few different areas, but I simply can't wait any longer. It is imperative that you follow the mission directives at all costs, Alexis. You can't let those bombs fall. At the same time you can't forget..." Bonnibel took a steady breath and slid her thumb over the photograph she still clutched in her hand. "You have to keep them safe. _We_ have to keep them safe. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I'll be with you every step of the way. Take care of yourself until I wake up, okay?"

Bonnibel sniffled and wiped away a few stray tears with the cuff of her grayed lab coat as she concluded the message. It finally began to sink in that this was the moment she had spent twenty-nine agonizingly long years working towards and she was starting to get emotional. With a watery sigh she set the radio handset down and made sure to save the changes that had been made to the programs, checking a few more last-minute things in the process. Once everything was good to go she walked back to her primary computer and started the activation sequence for the final function the machines in the bunker would perform.

The woman made her way to the far side of the stasis chamber where Alexis slept. There sat a chair that had been built as a part of the stasis chamber. The two different devices were connected secondarily by a series of tubes and hoses meant to connect the woman in the chamber with whomever took a seat. Bonnibel sat down on the cold metal and lowered the helmet-like device attached to it before strapping it onto her head. Once it was secure the only thing she had left to do was hope and wait, counting down the seconds until her highly-experimental invention powered on and hopefully set her grand plot into motion. The low whine of equipment warming up began to rise in pitch. As it did Bonnibel's mind started to skip between her countdown and her thoughts.

' _5_ '

If there was even a minuscule chance that her loved ones could be saved then all of this would have been worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears.

' _4_ '

This had to work. It _had_ to...Bonnibel held her breath as her eyes flitted to Alexis for the final time.

' _3_ '

The fate of the world now lay in the hands of a single woman.

' _2_ '

 _Everything_ depended on this succeeding.

' _1_ '

A jolt of electricity surged through her and the last thing that Bonnibel felt was an odd mix of pain and pleasure, the final sounds she would be met with were shattering glass and a high-pitched ringing, and all she saw was sparks flying as lights around the bunker shattered before her vision was overtaken by a blinding white light. Had she been on the outside looking in she would have seen her body begin to twitch and writhe, perhaps considering through the terrified haze if there even _was_ a chance to save the world or if its destruction was something along the lines of destiny. But neither her senses nor her consciousness were with her now.

As the machine finished its work Bonnibel Barton died, her breath leaving her for the final time as her body went slack. The aged photograph she'd grasped until the very end fell to the cold floor, leaving Bonnibel and the group of her closest friends standing fixed forever in place as they smiled at the concrete ceiling of the bunker.


	2. Reunion

**A/N: Alright, so here I am, two weeks later as scheduled, with the first full chapter of Ties. Unfortunately due to some crazy and tragic life stuff that happened and resulted in me riding buses all across the Midwest there may be a delay with the next chapter or so. I'll also be moving in about a month and a half, so that could also cause a delay. But the plan is to keep as close to the bi-weekly schedule as I can. Huge thanks to my proof reader for taking the time to look over this for me. Hope you folks enjoy, and if the urge hits then feel free to review or drop me a message.**

 **-Guest: To answer your question, there will be aspects of the plots that will be vastly different, some things will only have slight changes, and others will be staying the same. You're just gonna have to read on to find out. ;) As far as the prequel, I'll post it again once I've worked through it and done some polishing. Don't worry, it'll be up as soon as it's ready.**

 **Content Warning: Language, a public explosion, injury, and nudity.**

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 **Reunion**

There were a multitude of pleasant ways to wake up on holiday, but waking to the sound of a cellphone ringing wasn't one of them. After another semester packed with endless hours of classes, not to mention her job at the music shop and spending time socializing, all Marceline Abadeer wanted was to sleep in. As a result she found herself screaming into her pillow as she begged and pleaded for her phone to stop ringing. After a few moments the sound ceased, coaxing a relieved grin from the young woman. She rolled onto her side, face buried in a sheet of her own long, silky black hair, and pulled her blanket up to her chin as a contented sigh escaped her lips. With any luck she would be able to get the extra sleep she wanted after all.

Any hopes of getting further rest were dashed as the phone started to ring again. This time Marceline snatched the device from her nightstand and answered without bothering to check the caller ID.

"What?" the groggy woman snapped, her vision still blurry as she sat up and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes with the heel of her free hand.

" _Um...Okay. Good morning to you too, Marceline._ " a young woman's mildly irritated voice greeted in response. " _Did you forget that we had plans to hang out with everyone today?_ "

Rather than admit that she had indeed forgotten, Marceline remained silent. Judging from the disapproving hum she received her silence had been as telling as any words could have been. Given their history it made sense that the young woman on the other end of the call could tell when she'd let something slip her mind.

Marceline Abadeer and Bonnibel Barton had been friends since high school and had once even been roommates until a falling out led to them going their separate ways. Due to their mutual group of close friends the pair could never really avoid one another, and in the end they decided to give their own friendship another chance. That was how it should always be, in Marceline's opinion – the entire group of them together. At one time they had been inseparable, and truth be told the woman was quite looking forward to seeing everyone in the same place again for the first time in ages. At the same time, the chances that the reunion would result in an impromptu shopping trip were high, and Marceline wasn't sure if she was willing to brave the snowy streets of Reno only to endure that special brand of torture.

If it had only been Bonnibel then Marceline was confident that she could have talked her way out of a shopping trip, but when the blonde got around the other two women in their group there was no talking them out of hopping from store to store and gathering purchases along the way. But there were also two men in their ranks, men who were interested in things _other than_ shopping, so at the very least Marceline wouldn't be completely bored out of her mind. That didn't mean she was going to crawl out of the warmth of her bed without a fight, though.

"Isn't it a little early?" Marceline asked with a yawn as she ran a hand through her mess of impossibly long raven hair.

" _Marceline, it's nearly_ _noon_ _._.."

"And it's winter break, we've earned this time to sleep in!" Marceline whined before letting out a dramatic groan to punctuate her statement. She tossed her blanket aside as well and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The woman was met with instant regret as her feet touched the frigid hardwood floor, causing her to hastily pull them back. At that point Bonnibel had been scolding her, uninterrupted, and it had been going completely ignored. All Marceline was able to make out before she interjected was something along the lines of a threat implying that the blonde would come to her apartment and drag her out kicking and screaming if it came to that. "Don't have an aneurysm, Bonnibel, I'm up. Give me half an hour. I'll meet you guys at, uh..."

How could she go and forget _that_ too?

" _Typical. I should have known you'd end up spacing on that too._ " Bonnibel chuckled teasingly. " _We're meeting at the coffee shop on Main Street, the one we used to hang out at all the time back in high school. Y'know, this is the first time we've all been able to get together in what feels like a lifetime. I was sort of hoping that you'd actually remember and, I don't know, show up on time? You're incorrigible._ "

" _You're_ incorrigible." Marceline spat back.

" _Jerk. Now hurry up!_ "

"Yup. Love you too, Bonnie. See you in thirty."

Marceline quickly ended the call before the young woman on the other end could begin scolding her again. It had been that way since they were teenagers; when the aloof and rather forgetful Marceline would find herself at a loss as far as her memory the responsible and attentive Bonnibel was more than happy to remind her as well as provide an insightful lecture on how responsibility was one of the keys to a successful life. There was no way one of those 'talks' was happening that early in the day – especially before coffee. And with that she mustered the strength to brave her icy bedroom floor and prepare for the day.

Once she had willed herself through her streamlined morning routine of getting dressed in a carefully picked lime green top and a pair of black jeans, brushing her hair, and putting on the bare minimum makeup, Marceline was finally ready. Her heavy eyelids begged to differ but the promise of coffee once she reached her destination was motivation enough to fake it for the time being. After shrugging on her winter coat and snow boots and checking that her phone was safely in her pocket she made her way out of her apartment. As luck would have it, just as she slid her thumb over the fingerprint scanner on the door and the lock clicked shut she was met with the unpleasant surprise of small, icy flecks landing on the exposed skin of her face and hands.

' _And of course it starts snowing._ ' Marceline thought as she felt her mood begin to sour. ' _Those guys are lucky I love them enough to go out in this frigid garbage...And that the coffee shop's only a couple of blocks away...And that Bonnie's gonna be there..._ '

The thought of spending time with her one-time best friend had her stepping onto the sidewalk and starting off towards the coffee shop. Marceline was thankful that for now the snowfall was exceptionally light. From what she could tell by the ridges of compacted snow that lined the streets and sidewalks it had been heavy enough the previous night for the city to send out the plows. With any luck the weather would clear and Marceline wouldn't have to deal with it. It wasn't that she disliked snow, in fact the opposite was true. Some of her fondest childhood memories were of long winter nights watching the first flakes beginning to fall and days spent playing in an immaculate wonderland. But those happier thoughts were darkened by the black stain on all of her memories from those days: the death of her mother.

Marceline took a deep breath and as she exhaled she envisioned her troubling thoughts leaving her mind. Dwelling on the past only meant pain, and she wasn't willing to open any old wounds. She was glad that her trip to the coffee shop had been a short one and she now found herself standing on the sidewalk outside, unable to hold back her smile as she spotted her friends through the foggy windows. For the most part all the raven-haired woman could see were blurry shapes and colors, but one particular blur had her stomach tangling in nervous knots. One thing Marceline had always liked about Bonnibel was the young woman's love for the color pink, as that meant the blonde could usually be seen wearing something in a brilliant shade of the color, making her easy to spot in a crowd. While most of their other friends had teased her about Bonnibel's affinity for bubblegum pink it had been something that Marceline quickly grew fond of when they'd met.

If she was being _completely_ honest, that quirk was one of a multitude that Marceline found herself smiling about when the blonde popped into her mind. It had been no secret that even as teenagers she had been infatuated with Bonnibel. The only problem was that, as big as Marceline's crush was and as gay as Bonnibel was, as far as she and everyone else was aware the blonde just didn't date at all, choosing instead to focus on school. Those facts didn't stop the butterflies in the darker woman's stomach from going berserk though.

Once she suppressed her jitters Marceline pushed through the swinging doors of the coffee shop. The eyes of a small group of men and women were on her as soon as the electronic ping of the sensor by the entrance rang out. Their faces all broke into smiles, but before Marceline had an opportunity to greet them she was swept up by a pair of large, muscular arms and into a back-breaking hug.

"Marceline! It feels like it's been a lifetime!" the mountain of a man laughed as he spun around, the woman still in his arms as she struggled to breathe.

"Finn, buddy, put her down before she passes out." the second man said as he patted the first on the back of his broad shoulders. Finn set Marceline down and gave her an apologetic smile, his face tinged pink as he blushed.

"Sorry, got a little too excited. I missed you, Marcy." he said, raking his fingers back and forth through his short, scruffy blond hair.

"We _all_ missed you." the second man, Finn's brother Jake said as he stepped forward with his longtime girlfriend Lorraine Ilgagsu on his arm. The petite Korean woman only stood as tall as his chin, and in return Jake only stood as tall as Finn's shoulders if you counted his thick, curly brown hair, despite being three years older. None of that really mattered. All it took to confirm that Finn and Jake Mertens were brothers was to look at them. The identical high cheekbones and broad chins were a dead giveaway. "Heck, we missed everybody. The only two people I see from the group these days are Finn and Raine."

"And they're related and we sort of live together, so..." Lorraine said, trailing off and throwing her arms around Marceline's neck despite that she was substantially shorter. "It's nice to see you, Marceline. It's been too long."

"I know...I just got overwhelmed with school and work and I suppose I'm just a horrible friend. I did miss you guys, though. I'm sorry." Marceline apologized as she hugged her friend back.

"What you _should_ be sorry for is showing up late." Bonnibel teased once she managed to elbow a gap between the barrier that was the Mertens brothers. Lorraine slid out of the hug and went back to Jake's side, Marceline uncomfortably aware of how close the woman was watching the interaction.

"Give me a break, Bonnie. You called, I woke up and got ready and here I am in all of my decaffeinated glory." Marceline grumbled, doing her best to come off as grumpy as possible. Unfortunately Bonnibel saw right through her act and simply stood there, her smile still fixed in place. "Look, at least let me get some coffee before you start giving me a rough morning?"

"I suppose I can let you off easy this time. Y'know, since you asked so nicely." Bonnibel chuckled, clearing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around the slightly taller woman's neck with Marceline's arms stubbornly crossed between them. It didn't take long for Marceline to give in and slide her arms around her friend's waist, trying her hardest to contain her excited shivers, though it dawned on her that having recently been out in the snow was a completely plausible cause for something like that. "Besides, Phoebe still isn't here yet."

"Oh, _really_?" Marceline said in a sing-song manner, drawing out the vowels. She pulled away from Bonnibel and offered her best smug grin, one eyebrow arching up as she crossed her arms once more.

"Yep. She said she'd be here in ten minutes about..." Finn chimed in excitedly, pausing only to check his watch. "Forty-five minutes ago."

Marceline took a breath and prepared to give Bonnibel a tongue-in-cheek rant that would no doubt be a bit of poetic justice. Before she could start Lorraine stepped forward and essentially swept the blonde towards the counter. As she did she shot an odd look over her shoulder in Marceline's direction, an expression that the woman couldn't really decipher. Instead of wasting precious energy on trying to figure it out she simply let out a defeated sigh as the pair began to place their drink orders.

"So, you two talk much since that huge blowout you had?" Jake asked in a hushed voice as he cast a cautious glance towards his girlfriend and her companion, no doubt the lingering worry that they might overhear weighing heavy in his mind.

"A little, but not enough to really _fix_ anything. I think we've both been trying to forget it ever happened." Marceline admitted with a sigh.

"Gotta be kinda hard to forget something like that. I mean, you moved out because of it." Finn said as he gave his stubble-covered cheek an absent scratch.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but my knucklehead brother's right for a change." Jake chuckled in disbelief with a shake of his head. He turned to Marceline with an almost sad smile. "You two are gonna need to actually _talk things out_ , talk things out. Otherwise...I dunno, but you two shouldn't have this kind of bad blood between you. You're best friends."

"We used to be..." Marceline sighed. Before Jake could speak up and start to argue his case more she figured she would cut him off and continue her thought. "Look, if we talk it out then that's what we do. If not, then we don't."

As she finished speaking Marceline walked past the brothers, her way of indicating that she was done talking with them about that particular subject. She made her way to the counter and once her order had been placed she produced her credit chip from her pocket and ran it over the scanner. After a moment the LED on the device blinked green and the barista stepped off to prepare the drink.

While waiting Marceline's gaze drifted over to Lorraine and Bonnibel as the boys stood sheepishly nearby in her periphery. The women were seated at the very same booth that the friends had all but called home in their younger years, no doubt for old time's sake. They were bent over the table, shoulders slumped, as they spoke in excited whispers. More than once during the conversation Lorraine tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear as they repeatedly fell out of place. Marceline couldn't help but smile as she remembered a time when that particular quirk had belonged to another member of the group.

It reminded Marceline of so many memories she shared with Bonnibel, of their late night conversations, and of any other time that the blonde wound up talking about something she had a passion for. She would get so caught up in the topic that fidgeting with her hair became a completely involuntary action after a point. Due to their differing interests, Marceline being a musician while Bonnibel excelled in the realm of science, Marceline could rarely remember what it was her friend had been saying but one thing she could never forget was the spark in the blonde's eye. Those days were in the past; the young woman had long since taken to wearing her hair up, usually in a tight bun unless she had changed her habits since the pair had been roommates, saying it was to maintain a more 'professional' appearance. On days like this one where there were no academic duties to tend to Bonnibel kept her strawberry blonde hair tied back loosely in a way that complimented her well.

The sound of the young man on the other side of the counter clearing his throat grabbed Marceline's attention. Red in the face from letting her mind drift to the point that she had completely tuned out the rest of the world around her, she accepted her drink from the barista, thanked him, and then made her way to where the girls were seated while the Mertens brothers took their turns placing their orders. As she approached Marceline didn't miss that both Bonnibel and Lorraine had taken notice and quickly wrapped up their conversation. It was suspicious. Flashing her best smile, she slid into the booth next to the blonde.

"Did I interrupt the Bonnie and Raine gossip hour?" she joked, hoping it was enough to cover the fact that her friends' behavior was causing her anxiety to flare up horribly.

"We were just talking about school, thanks. We would never gossip." Lorraine said with a convincing smile – only it was _too_ convincing. Marceline could see in her friend's almond-shaped eyes that she was lying. A glance in Bonnibel's direction, which she actively avoided, only served to confirm the suspicion that they hadn't been talking about school, at least not in the context that was implied. And if her instincts were half as good as she was willing to bet they were, Marceline had good money on the topic of their conversation having been 'The Argument'. For whatever reason Lorraine and Bonnibel had decided to act suspect and end their conversation prematurely, but despite every instinct in her screaming to investigate further, Marceline decided to play along. Now was neither the time nor the place.

"So...How _is_ school?" she asked in an effort to sell her act. Her friends seemed all too eager for the conversation being given a change in direction back to a topic they had supposedly already been discussing.

"Ah, good. Finals went well. I qualify for the chance to actually go to a school and apprentice under a teacher, so that's a big thing." Lorraine explained with a grin that spread from ear to ear.

If there was anyone in the world who had it in their heart to teach young children it was Lorraine Ilgagsu, and there wasn't a soul alive who would argue with her over her choice in career. Her decision to pursue a degree in early childhood education stemmed from growing up in a very close yet very large family and as a result assisting in various aspects of the upbringing of her various cousins, though she herself was an only child. While it could be said that she had an obvious desire to positively influence the lives of children, Lorraine herself would tell anyone who suggested it that she was simply not ready to have kids of her own.

Jake and Lorraine had been in a committed, long-term relationship for so long that everyone who knew the couple saw them as a single entity. The pair had even lived together since their high school graduation. No doubt the couple had their own troubles and problems to overcome, but from what everyone around them saw they were the picture of happiness. Thanks in no small part to the longevity of the relationship and the obvious amount of love for one another that they'd radiated the entire time there was pressure from both families for Lorraine and Jake to settle down and have a family of their own. The couple had talked about it all, of course, and in the end it was decided that they would focus on earning their degrees and getting settled in their careers. Once that happened they would plan from there.

While Lorraine found her passion in shaping young minds her boyfriend's natural skill was more of a domestic variety. Jake had a deep love for cooking, so much so that he hoped to turn his favorite hobby into what he viewed as the best career ever. In order to pursue his dreams he was enrolled in classes part time at the city's university and worked part time in the kitchen at one of the higher end restaurants in the city. Both the experience and money were good, and both he and his girlfriend lived comfortably so there were no complaints.

"What about you, Marceline?" Lorraine asked with a small smile before she paused to take a sip of her drink. "How's the music degree going?"

"I've actually been considering taking some time off." Marceline admitted before taking a slow sip from her own cup. She was hoping to somehow put off explaining her own school situation and hadn't quite prepared herself. It was silly, there was no reason for it, but part of her was deeply embarrassed that she wanted to take a break from classes for maybe a year or so. "I love music, don't get me wrong, but I think that maybe going to school for it wasn't the best choice. It sort of sucks the passion out of it, y'know?" She paused again and nodded, more to herself than her friends. "Yeah. So as of now my plan is to keep working at the music shop and get back to my roots."

"Your roots?" Bonnibel asked as the corners of her mouth tugged up in a smile. "You mean you want to start another band."

"So what if I do?" Marceline asked indignantly. She let out a huff and did her best to fake a pout around her own smile. Finding the endeavor hopeless, she chose to relent and move on with the conversation. "How's school been going for you, Bonnie, since you want to sit there and make comments?"

"Same as usual." Bonnibel sighed, taking a drink. She set the cup back on the table and laced her fingers around it, staring down at her hands as she continued. "I'm stressed because finals are coming up. There's added stress because this year the student who scores the highest gets to go on to take an internship at CERN working with the best in the field studying all sorts of cutting edge stuff. It's like the Holy Grail for someone trying to get a start in the larger world of theoretical physics." The blonde paused, licked her slightly chapped lips, and reflexively moved her hand to brush away strands of strawberry blonde hair that weren't even there. Marceline didn't try and stop the smile that found its way to her face as she saw the telltale signs of Bonnibel's passion for her course of study bubbling to the surface. It dawned on her as the blonde continued that she had missed this kind of time together more than she'd realized. "I wouldn't really _mind_ finishing out my last few semesters of school in class and all, but I studied my ass off for years for a chance like this. Pretty sure if I don't get the internship I've got a world class mental breakdown coming my way."

Marceline leaned over to bump her shoulder into the blonde's, a gesture from long ago that she hoped still had the same reassuring effect.

"I'm sure that you've got it, hands down. I doubt any of those other nerds can even hold a candle to the intellectual powerhouse that is _the_ Bonnibel Barton." she chuckled.

"There are a lot of other people who would probably literally commit murder for that internship, Marceline." Bonnibel remarked almost bitingly. She sighed, averted her gaze for a moment before looking back up with an unspoken apology in her blue eyes, and let herself smile and try to play it off for the sake of trying not to make things awkward. Marceline followed her lead simply because she didn't have the energy to get mad about it. She was taken aback, sure, but was used to it in a way thanks to their time spent living together. She wasn't going to make a mountain out of a molehill. "And contrary to what you guys seem to think, I'm _not_ the smartest person in the world."

"Oh? Could have fooled me with how you like to like to act sometimes."

The trio at the booth looked up to see the last member of their group, Phoebe Jameson, standing nearby. It seemed as though she had managed to make her way into the coffee shop unnoticed somehow, which raised a question or two in itself, and had approached the table but made sure to stay out of sight until she was right there. Despite the friendly smile on her face there was a hint of bitterness in the redhead's tone that was reflected in her body language in the most subtle of ways, hand on her hip and posture slack. Little did Phoebe know, that particular way of standing let her friends know when she was intentionally trying to push someone's buttons. With what could only be described as a scoff she pulled the knitted hat from her head and set her loosely tied back, fiery hair right.

It was no secret to the people who knew them that Bonnibel and Phoebe had never really sparked any sort of real friendship between them despite having a good bit in common. Instead they were rivals, and if Marceline's memory served correct then it all went back to their high school days. Phoebe had been romantically interested in Finn, who at the time had been futilely pursuing Bonnibel despite her turning him down and reminding him as gently as she could that she didn't date. It wasn't until a number of conversations with Lorraine had happened and some time had passed that the blonde finally came forward and admitted to all of her friends in typical, nervous, stuttering teenage fashion that she was a lesbian. Of course they had all been supportive, even Finn despite his disappointment, but somehow even with the potential for any sort of intimacy between him and Bonnibel being completely eliminated, the rivalry stayed alive.

"Phoebe! When did you get here?" Finn asked as he grinned like he'd just won the lottery, approaching with Jake who had their drinks in hand. The redhead turned and made a sound of acknowledgment as she backed up a couple of steps and gave the men a wide berth.

Bonnibel wasn't the only one of their friends that Phoebe had an uncomfortable history with. Marceline's knowledge on the subject was limited, but from what she knew Finn and the young woman had begun dating not long after Bonnibel's coming out. The relationship, like Jake and Lorraine's, had lasted through high school and into college. The difference was that Phoebe and Finn had broken up, and it hadn't been on good terms, though nobody was really certain on exact details. From what they _were_ told, though...Finn had made his bed, so to speak.

"Just now, actually." Phoebe responded stiffly as she waited, possibly for the brothers to take their seats. Jake pushed the younger Mertens brother out of the way and slid into the booth next to Lorraine. When it became apparent that Finn had no intention of sitting until the redhead had done so, Marceline and Bonnibel scooted down along the booth's seat enough so the woman could fit along with them. Phoebe hesitated for a moment as her eyes went from the seat – no doubt weighing the pros and cons of accepting the invitation despite the spot being next to Bonnibel – to Finn. It didn't take her long to slump down with a sigh. She began to drum her fingers along the polished tabletop as she watched her ex-boyfriend walk off and grab a chair from an unoccupied table. "So. Finn. How's the boxing thing going?"

Once Finn had his commandeered chair in place at the end of the table, doing his best to sit as close as he could to Phoebe, things got a bit tense among the group. What exactly had transpired between them was a mystery, but at the very least those present were well aware that the man's decision to pursue a career in professional boxing had a big part in the breakup. Why would the redhead bring it up? At this point it appeared as if she were simply being belligerent.

"It's going great!" I've been working my way up, making a bit of a name for myself." Finn explained, making it seem as though he were completely unaware of the fact that perhaps she hadn't honestly been interested, that maybe he should rein in his excitement and leave it at a simple 'good' and move along. Phoebe seemed to be pretending she was happy for him at the very least. That was a big step, but as the woman shifted in her seat his smile faded. Finn ran a hand through his scruffy mess of short hair and let out a nervous chuckle. "How's your, uh...meteor stuff going?"

The table's occupants collectively cringed. Phoebe was top of her class as a meteorology major, and it was something that brought her an immense amount of pride. Had it not been for the years spent trying to get Finn to understand that she studied the weather and not space phenomena then maybe she wouldn't wouldn't have been giving him a look that would make the seediest back alley criminal reconsider their life choices. Just as Phoebe began to draw in air to no doubt give the man the ass-chewing of the ages, Lorraine spoke up and spared him by diverting her attention.

"You blazed through your undergraduate program, didn't you?" the Asian woman asked with a smile. "Did you decide to pursue a doctorate or are you thinking of just trying to find work now?"

"For now the doctorate's on hold." Phoebe answered, her glare softening around the edges. She finally tore her emerald eyes from Finn and let them land on Lorraine, a smile on the redhead's face. "I actually managed to snag a government job. They're opening up a new branch of the Severe Storms Laboratory and my professor decided to pass my name along. They called, we got to talking, and as it turns out I was the perfect candidate for their only entry-level position."

"Must be nice when things just fall into your lap like that." Bonnibel remarked snidely. In that instant Marceline and Lorraine locked eyes, both knowing that the other understood that if their friends weren't somehow convinced to calm down with their attitudes then the situation could easily get nasty. After a few moments of silence between the clashing women Marceline breathed a sigh of relief; if one of them were going to do something that would have been the opportunity. She understood why as she glanced over to see the redhead sitting at the table with a smug grin on her face. It seemed that the satisfaction of knowing that Bonnibel wasn't having the easiest time with school was enough of a petty victory for her that she didn't feel the need to justify the statement with a response.

The tension didn't take long to dissipate once Jake started telling old stories that had the group reminiscing. One thing that Marceline was continuously thankful for was that no matter what they were always able to put their individual differences aside for the sake of spending time together as a group, at least for short periods of time. They did still grate on each others' nerves in certain cases, but they were friends. That's simply what they did. A number of comedic and embarrassing anecdotes later they decided it was time to take to the streets and begin the second portion of their outing.

Marceline was no more excited about shopping than she had been earlier that morning, and just as she had predicted that's exactly what they were off to do. When Bonnibel, Phoebe, and Lorraine got together that was usually where things headed, but as surprising as it was the blonde announced that she wouldn't be joining the other two women on their rounds. Once the group cleared the first block of stores Finn and Jake caught sight of the old arcade that their teenage selves had spent countless months of allowances at and, of course, took the first chance to excuse themselves for what would no doubt be a rousing few rounds of Kompy's Kastle. Just before they disappeared from sight Jake shouted out a promise that they wouldn't take too long and that they would meet back up once they'd finished.

Moments later Phoebe and Lorraine ducked into a nearby fashion boutique, leaving the last two women in their party out front on the sidewalk. The pair found a nearby bench that, fortunately, had been cleared of snow long enough prior that it was dry enough to sit on. They sat in silence for a long time, pulling out their phones but paying the devices no real attention. Holding them was simply a hollow gesture, something they were both doing in an attempt to keep from speaking.

As little as she wanted to cause any sort of scene or confrontation Marceline was having a hard time keeping herself from trying to clear the air about her decision to move out of the apartment she had shared with Bonnibel a year prior. It was obvious there were unresolved issues between them and the raven-haired woman didn't want to let them ruin what had been an amazing friendship. They had already tried getting to it when they could and that had resulted in the topic being altogether avoided. Perhaps just diving into it headfirst was the next best course of action.

"Hey, Bonnie?" Marceline began after a long moment spent psyching herself up and preparing for the conversation she was about to start. Brow furrowed and sighing as Bonnibel turned to her, she fought to cut a path through the thick jungle of her thoughts and find enough clarity to communicate the points she wanted to make. "I know the timing couldn't be worse, but..." Another pause and another sigh. Marceline crossed her arms on impulse and began to tap her foot as she looked anywhere but directly at her friend. "I just want to say that my choice to move out wasn't meant as anything against you. I'm sorry for bringing this up out of nowhere but I feel like we've both been ignoring not only the situation but each other instead of actually addressing anything."

Bonnibel let out a scoff and shook her head in disbelief. "You were right about the timing being terrible." she snapped. The blonde stood and planted herself firmly in front of Marceline, arms crossed and scowling dangerously. "You pick now of all times to talk about this? How is that supposed to help us have a nice day out with our friends?"

"I know, and I'm sorry for the _horrible_ timing but like I said, we've been ignoring it for a year. Don't you think it's time we put this behind us and move past it? I don't know about you, but I miss my best friend."

"Alright, fine. Since you're set on doing this right this second, let me counter your statement with a question: why _did_ you move out, Marceline?" Bonnibel growled. Marceline looked up to see that the blonde's arms were folded tight over her chest, her posture was rigid, and she had the gleam in her eye that meant one wrong move would spell disaster.

In a mix of fortunes Phoebe and Lorraine emerged from the store, the latter hanging up her phone and stuffing it into her purse with some difficulty thanks to the shopping bags she held. Within moments the men had rejoined them as well, playfully punching one another in the arms and rough housing along the way. Marceline and Bonnibel put on the best fake smiles they could manage. The conversation was far from over, that much was a guarantee. At least this way Marceline knew that it wouldn't fall to the wayside again, as mad as the other woman was at her for bringing it up when she did. Unfortunately, as much as they tried to play it off Lorraine's concerned expression was a dead giveaway that the woman knew that something had happened. Before she could address the situation the street filled with the soft patter of rain. The sound became deafening as more and more people took notice and stopped to spectate, stilling the normally busy city square.

"It is raining...in December?" Bonnibel asked as she craned her neck to gaze up at the gray clouds above. Marceline followed her lead only to be hit close to the eye by a raindrop. She flinched, not just from where she was struck but also because somehow the rain was warm, almost verging on hot.

"It can't be. Not rain of this temperature. Maybe a pipe burst or something, I don't know, but whatever this is isn't a natural weather occurrence." Phoebe commented, scowling at the sky through the falling drizzle.

"Is it suddenly really hot out to anyone else?" Finn asked, tugging off his thick winter coat and fanning out his shirt.

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Marceline said as she noticed the beginnings of sweat starting to form across her skin. Other people who were in the area were also paying attention to the odd phenomenon, some following Finn's lead and dressing down, some continuing with their business, some staying around to ogle whatever it was that was happening in the street, and others leaving altogether. Movement at her feet caught Marceline's attention. Beneath them the snow was melting at an alarming rate. She cleared her throat loud enough to get the attention of her companions before pointing down.

"I think we should move." Bonnibel said quickly. She grabbed onto Marceline's arm and began walking, dragging the other woman along with her. Before coming to a stop on the unaffected and still snow-covered patch of street near the sidewalk on the opposite side of the square Marceline noticed that the snow had melted in the shape of a perfect circle, the majority of which overlapped with the asphalt while the rest crossed over the walkway and intersected with a nearby storefront. A few of the curious onlookers that had gathered risked venturing within the radius of the melt, though most chose to play it safe and stay at least an arm's length away. One thing remained the same through all present, and that was that they were all mystified by whatever was occurring.

"Well, Ms. Severe Storms Laboratory, mind giving us your expert opinion?" Bonnibel asked in a snide tone, turning to give Phoebe a challenging smirk. "My field of study was physics, so I'm afraid that when when it comes to the weather I'm out of my depth and have to defer to your how many years of experie-"

The world slowed to a crawl as a resounding crack emanated from the center of the unusual melt pattern. Marceline saw the shock wave before she felt it, watched as it barreled towards her and her friends just before her vision was overtaken by a blinding flash, helpless to do anything to prevent whatever was about to happen. A grunt escaped her as she felt the speeding wall of force slam into her so hard that she was lifted off her feet and sent hurtling through the air. When she hit the ground the last of her breath was forced from her lungs with a pained cough and she rolled, finally coming to a stop face down on the cold, snowy asphalt.

As she tried for her first painful gulp of air Marceline was hit with so much agony that her eyes flew open and rolled back. She hated how the world around her was little more than a collection of cloudy shapes, how her pounding head felt as though it were filled with cotton, and most of all she hated that the combination of those things made it impossible for her to locate any of the people that she had been with who were no doubt caught in the same blast. That alone had her panicking through the shell shock. Pure willpower had Marceline struggling through her disorientation in an effort to regain full control of herself and get up, that was the first step in making sure the others were alright. She stubbornly planted both palms firmly on the pavement and strained as she tried to push herself up. Unfortunately her limbs felt like they'd been pumped full of liquid cement and her arms fell uselessly to the ground at her sides.

However, Marceline's vision had started to focus. While still a little fuzzy she could make out her general surroundings in detail if she focused hard enough. The one thing that drew her attention as she scanned the rubble-laden street was a young woman who looked to be roughly her own age moving to stand upright near the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. Somehow, despite the pavement beneath the woman being reduced to nothing more than a smoldering crater, she seemed untouched. The mystery deepened as Marceline noticed that the stranger was not only completely nude, but her long brown hair appeared to be dripping wet and her pale skin gleamed in the sparse light that punched through the sheet of smoke that the explosion had created.

' _This is insane...I've got to be dreaming._ " Marceline thought through the confusion of her racing thoughts. A part of her was desperately trying to convince herself that she had gone back to sleep, that all of this was some kind of twisted nightmare and any moment she would wake up to the sound of her phone ringing again and she would answer and get another angry lecture from Bonnibel and everything would be okay because all of this would have been a bad dream and nothing more.

Marceline opened her eyes; she didn't have any recollection of closing them. She also didn't remember turning her head to the side _or_ the woman from the smoking, rubble-filled pit that had once been Main Street approaching. The brunette locked eyes with Marceline, her own an almost glowing blue, and turned her head to the side with a blank yet somehow curious expression on her face. The stranger knelt and Marceline was faced with the terrifying realization that her body was simply too worn out from the initial blast for her to do much of anything. She was left lying in the street as a result, helpless and at the mercy of some unknown woman. In what was possibly the single most stressful moment of her life Marceline simply watched as the stranger continued to stare her down. After a few moments of sickening tension the sound of approaching sirens pierced through the groans and cries that rose up in the aftermath of the explosion. The strange, naked woman's head snapped up towards the direction the noise was coming from and she was on her feet snatching up a bright blue coat from the pavement that greatly resembled Finn's jacket. Once she'd shrugged it on the brunette sprinted out of sight in the opposite direction of the approaching emergency response vehicles.

With the woman gone a wave of relief washed over Marceline as Bonnibel came into view. She wasn't all that far away, but not being able to move had effectively turned a few feet into miles. To make it all the worse, the blonde was unconscious and splayed out on her back, the only real indication she was alive was the slow yet steady rise and fall of her chest. She was still breathing, though. That had to be a good sign.

In an effort to once more attempt to move, this time to reach the one of the people she could honestly say she would risk nearly anything for, Marceline managed to extend her arm with a deep groan. All of the nerve endings in her body lit up as excruciating pain radiated through every inch of her. For a moment the agony was absolute. It encroached on her senses and limited her vision to a shrinking tunnel, heartbeat drowning out all ambient sounds. Marceline tried to focus and keep her eyes on Bonnibel while simultaneously fighting off the black stains that had begin to edge her sight and threatened to plunge her into darkness. She fought valiantly but in the end she slipped into unconsciousness, her hand still outstretched towards Bonnibel.


	3. Hindsight

**A/N: Welcome back to the next chapter of Ties! Hope you folks are enjoying the story so far. I'm having a lot of fun with the rewrite and I honestly feel like I've come a long way since starting this project a year and a half ago. Anyway, hope that any readers who were there through the first version of the story approve of the changes I've made, and I hope that the newcomers are enjoying the ride!**

 **-Chez: Yes, Ties is back. ^^ Hopefully I don't fall short of expectations. Not too much is changing in Ties as far as the overall plot, the serious differences won't really take effect until Choices, but there are going to be differences that drastically change some of the sub-plots and completely blow away some of the things that happened the first time around. It should be interesting to say the least!**

 **Same as always, if you find this story to your liking then feel free to follow, favorite, or review. Seeing traffic stats is one thing, but feedback from you lovely folks is what helps me stay motivated to keep writing. Also, take some time to show the ever wonderful Plesiosaur some love. She's been proofing for me this entire time and she's got a laundry list of amazing stories for you folks to check out. Anyway, on to the content warning!**

 **Content warning: Unresolved conflict, mentions of past trauma, mention of a family member's death, violence, guns 'n junk, language...Not sure if there's anything else I'm leaving out. But hey, here's the chapter!**

* * *

 **Hindsight**

The drone of a televised news report set on low volume was the first thing Bonnibel noticed as she began to regain consciousness. The second was the way her entire body ached to the bone and there was a ball of hot, compressed pain centered in the back of her skull. The third thing she took note of was that she was in the hospital, something she realized as she tried to roll over onto her side only to be stopped by the stabbing pain of the IV in her arm pulling at an angle. Bonnibel had maintained an aversion to hospitals since she was younger, specifically when her great uncle fell ill. At the time she saw the man as immune to the woes and suffering of the rest of the world. He was supposed to be the one constant in her life, always there and ready to teach her something new, he wasn't supposed to be laid up in a hospital bed attached to all sorts of machines and fighting to cling to life. That image burned into her memories and remained there as a constant reminder of one of the darkest chapters of her life, and even though years had passed she still found herself unable to let go of the anxiety that even thinking about hospitals brought her.

In this particular case Bonnibel was willing to overlook the fact that she was there at least until she'd found answers to some of the questions she had, the main one being what had caused her hospitalization. A wave of pain rolled through her head and washed over her nerve endings. All she could do against it was grit her teeth and wait until the torment had dulled and quieted into a steady, dull throb. Perhaps the answer she sought was that she had sustained a head injury. That would certainly explain the pain, not to mention the infuriating lapse in memory the blonde was experiencing.

The sound of a dampened explosion and a flash grabbed her attention, leading her eyes to the television that had been mounted in the upper corner of the hospital room for visitors and patients expecting a longer stay. Playing on the screen was what appeared to be cellphone footage of the Main Street square. Bonnibel froze. The last thing she had any clear memory of was being there with her friends when the video was taken. More pieces of the puzzle fell rather forcibly into place as the person controlling the camera panned around to expose an abnormal patch of ground where the snow had mysteriously melted. Again, a blast rang out on the television and caused the video to shake violently, no doubt as the device flew through the air. Then the footage cut to black before giving way to a female newscaster seated at a desk. Bonnibel strained to listen as the woman reported on the event that had no doubt been the reason she was sent to the hospital.

"That was just one of the numerous videos that have been pouring in of the bombing that devastated Main Street three days ago, killing seven people and wounding at least thirty others. While authorities still have no idea what type of device was detonated, United Global Government representatives have assured the public that they do have a suspect and a search is well underway."

A picture appeared on the screen showing the street that day, and from the quality and angle of the photograph Bonnibel had to guess it was more than likely a still taken from a high-mounted traffic camera. In the image was a tall young woman dressed in nothing more than a blue winter coat, her long brown hair billowing behind her as she fled, striking sapphire eyes locked on the camera. A shiver ran down Bonnibel's spine as she examined the picture closely in an attempt to make sure that, should she encounter this woman again, she could alert the appropriate authorities. But the longer the blonde continued to look at the photo the more she felt a growing, haunting familiarity that she neither understood nor was comfortable with. Thankfully she wasn't forced to keep staring at it as the image was reduced in size and used as a screen overlay as the cameras went back to the reporter.

"The suspect is described as a Caucasian female with long, brown hair, athletic build, and estimated to stand at near six feet tall. She was last seen wearing a blue parka and nothing else. Citizens are advised by law enforcement to be on the lookout for this woman, but not to approach her under any circumstances as she is presumed to be incredibly dangerous. Any information about the suspect's whereabouts can be reported to-"

The metallic click of the aged door handle snatched Bonnibel's attention away from the news report and set her heart to racing. In the more logical of her thoughts she was aware that the likelihood of anyone managing to make it this far into the hospital with the intent to do her harm was slim, but so little made sense to her. She'd woken up in the hospital after an apparent bombing of some sort with little recollection of the event itself and the most massive headache the blonde could ever recall having. Thankfully her logical thinking had been correct; a weak yet still sincere smile made its way to the blonde's face as through the open door stepped a tall woman with her flowing black hair tied back loosely and dressed in one of her many band tees and a pair of loose jeans. In one hand the woman clutched a bouquet of flowers and in the other was a card with a picture of a kitten ticked into bed with a bowl of soup. As little sense as the picture on the card made, it was cute. Just this once Bonnibel decided to just let the inaccuracy go and appreciate the gift without adding any notes.

"Hey there. Glad to see that you're awake. Everybody's been worried sick." Marceline said with a small smile of her own, hers more weary and worn around the edges. She lay the flowers down on the bedside table before handing the blonde the card and leaning down for an uncharacteristically stiff one-armed hug. It was while they were pulling away that Bonnibel caught sight of the faint purple patches on her friend's cheek and realized that, as horrific as the thought was, the rest of their group of friends had all been caught in the blast.

As much as Bonnibel wanted to ask about how the others were doing she couldn't bring herself to speak the words out of fear that there was more to the exhaustion behind Marceline's eyes. Truth be told she wasn't sure she could handle it in the event that the worst had occurred. With all of the possibilities running through her aching head there was plenty of time for Marceline to take a seat in the nearby chair kept in the room for visitors and get settled. The woman let out a sigh and closed her eyes as she sank deeper into the cushion. She was tired, that much was obvious, and it had the blonde even more worried than she'd initially been. Finally the lack of knowing became too much for her; the news report had said there were fatalities.

"What about everyone else? How are they? Did..." Bonnibel let her voice trail off, unable to finish the thought. She didn't even want to consider what she'd been inquiring about as a distant possibility.

"What?" Marceline asked, her face screwed up in confusion. Needless to say, it hadn't been the response the blonde had expected and it had her on the verge of a panic. After a moment realization flashed across her friend's face. "Oh, no! No, everyone's fine aside from a few bumps and bruises. Finn was released the very next morning, and even getting him to stay overnight for observation was like pulling teeth. Jake, Raine, Phoebe, and myself were discharged yesterday. Everybody was feeling pretty worn out so they all headed home."

"But you stayed?"

"Yeah, right. You think I was gonna stay up here that entire time waiting for your lazy self to wake up? Please." Marceline scoffed with a dramatic roll of her eyes and a slick grin. "Nah, I stopped by my place to shower and change and then I came right back. Out cold or not, there was no way I was gonna leave you here all by yourself."

"Thanks, Marcy. It...It means a lot that you'd stay here with me like that." Bonnibel remarked softly, doing her best to keep herself from averting her eyes in embarrassment as Marceline toyed with the hem of her shirt. After a few moments that were awkward for reasons that she couldn't quite put her finger on, Bonnibel watched as the darker woman's lips quirked into a small smile.

"Don't mention it, nerd. Just pay me back sometime, yeah?"

After a slightly distracted nod Bonnibel furrowed her brow, still working on putting the complete series of events together for herself.

"So I've been unconscious this entire time?"

"Yep. Three days." Marceline responded with a quick bob of her head. "The doctors said there was a possibility you'd suffered some kind of cranial trauma, but when they checked they said everything came back clean. You had everyone going out of their minds worrying about you."

"Well, now I'm going out of my mind worrying about everyone else. Could we see about getting me discharged already?" Bonnibel asked with a forced chuckle. Her headache was worsening. She knew that the doctors probably needed to know, that something along those lines would be rather important to disclose given that she was suspected of having suffered a head injury that resulted in prolonged loss of consciousness, but letting the hospital staff know would do nothing more than delay her release. And hadn't Marceline explained to her that they'd already done a rather comprehensive battery of tests? Surely if there was any sign of trauma the competent men and women who were employed there would no doubt have found it. To Bonnibel's relief she wasn't going to have to argue about getting out.

"Alright, I'll go and get the doctors. Sit tight, okay? Be right back."

Marceline flashed a winning grin as she stood and made her way to the door. There was an uneasiness to her gait, a hesitation that almost seemed like a limp if Bonnibel actually concentrated, and as the woman left the room it became obvious that she was attempting to conceal her own injuries. Leave it to Marceline to make it one of the highest emergencies in the event that one of her friends was hurt, but if she herself suffered any damage then she expected to be allowed to sweep it under the rug. It was something that the pair had clashed about in the past. This time, the blonde decided, she wasn't going to just let it happen. This time she would do whatever she could to make sure that Marceline was as cared for as anyone else while she nursed her wounds.

The dark woman returned with the doctor in tow a few short moments later and Bonnibel was forced to endure another hour and a half of being poked, prodded, and agitated. Once the doctor was satisfied that there were no serious injuries that could develop into a life-threatening situation, he let the blonde know that she would be cleared to check out in another two days time due to the potential nature of her injuries and the fact that she lived alone. Bonnibel didn't even need to speak; before she had a chance to so much as consider how she would convince the doctor to let her go home Marceline stepped forward and said that if that was all that prevented the woman from being allowed to leave, she herself would be more than happy to provide a watchful eye during their recovery processes...given that the blonde agreed with those conditions. Seeing how the alternative was being forced to remain in the hospital for another couple of days Bonnibel eagerly accepted the terms. After all, if she had to have a babysitter there were probably worse people than Marceline who could have volunteered for the job.

So with it established that Marceline would be staying with Bonnibel for at least the first full week after being released from the hospital, the blonde eagerly yet slowly changed clothes. Her bones and muscles cried out in anguish as she pulled on the pair of sweat pants and loose t-shirt that Marceline had grabbed from her own clothing and brought for her. While hospital gowns were by far her least favorite manner of dress, in that moment she considered whether or not she'd made the proper choice to change. Before she could actually do a mental tally of the pros and cons a white hot rail of pain pierced her left eye and shot through her skull. One hand pressed tight against her eye and the other firmly on her wrist she let out a small groan before her knees shuddered and she dropped to the ground. From the other side of the door she could hear Marceline's concerned voice but the woman's words were lost in a fog of agony. Gritting her teeth Bonnibel struggled to her feet, breathing heavy once she was upright. If she couldn't pull it together then there was no way she'd be allowed to leave. So when she walked back out to where her friend was waiting for her she swallowed her pain as much as she could and pushed it deep down.

With her clothing changed Bonnibel accompanied her friend and temporary "caretaker" outside where the darker woman hailed a taxi cab. After being helped into the vehicle the blonde watched as her companion made her way around the rear of the vehicle to climb in next to her. Their first destination was Marceline's apartment so she could quickly pack some clothing for her extended stay with Bonnibel. As per the doctor's orders the pair would be staying together until the blonde's first follow-up appointment, which was in a week's time. Pending the results there was a chance that the pair would be temporarily rooming again for longer. While the circumstances weren't ideal Bonnibel was still thankful that she would be able to spend time with the woman.

The trip to Marceline's apartment from the hospital took twice the amount of time it normally would have, and as they drove past the barriers and caution tape that had been placed after the explosion it made sense as to why. The storefront closest to where the blast originated had been rendered to little more than a heap of gravel. Clothing, papers, and other debris from the shop littered the street as the structure loomed overhead in skeletal repose. Investigation crews were still on site taking measurements and readings as well as scouring the surrounding area for any potential evidence. Thankfully the city had set up a rather well put together series of detours that kept traffic flowing, so even though the trip was longer it wasn't as though traffic was stuck in gridlock.

Once they arrived at their first destination Bonnibel watched as her companion slid from the back seat, pausing for long enough to tell the taxi driver to just keep the meter running. As the blonde watched she was forced to suck in a sharp breath as pain shot through the front of her skull and caused her to double over in her seat. The taxi driver was speaking to her, she heard that through the haze, and no doubt he was asking if she was in need of assistance, but all Bonnibel could focus on was trying to identify the origin of the man's barely perceptible accent. Once the worst of the pain in her head subsided she was able to assuage the man's worry by attributing the episode to an intense headache.

After roughly five minutes, give or take twenty or thirty seconds, Marceline reappeared. She stepped onto the sidewalk with a duffelbag hefted over one shoulder. She hurried to the trunk of the taxi and the driver opened it so she could drop her belongings inside. With that portion of their plans complete Marceline slid into the back of the car. With a quick smile in Bonnibel's direction the woman sank into her seat, eyes closed, and let out a long breath. She was obviously experiencing a fair amount of discomfort; she grimaced and took a second long breath, this time sighing it out and sitting as close to properly upright as she could. Had it not been for another wave of pain rolling through her head Bonnibel may have pressed to discover the full extent of the other woman's injuries.

Thankfully the drive to Bonnibel's comfortable one bedroom apartment was a much shorter journey than the trip from the hospital had been. As the car came to a stop alongside the curb the women climbed out and Marceline retrieved her bag from the trunk before the pair headed inside. They'd taken three steps in the door when Bonnibel felt the ache of hunger digging away at her. As it turned out Marceline was hungry as well, and volunteered to cook them something. There was no way her companion was going to let that happen. Even if she didn't suspect that Marceline was doing everything she could to conceal her own pains, neither of them was exceptionally skilled in the kitchen, and the last thing Bonnibel wanted to deal with in her current state was attempting to put out a stove or oven fire. Instead she made her own way into the kitchen and began to cook the one dish she could with no issues: spaghetti.

The women ate in relative silence, the little bit of conversation they did have consisting mostly of idle small talk of no real substance. Before she even realized it Bonnibel was watching Marceline carefully rise from her chair to take her empty, sauce-smeared plate into the kitchen. The speed at which she'd eaten had the blonde wondering if her friend had bothered to eat at all during the course of the previous few days. Deciding not to press the matter for lack of energy and desire to possibly start some kind of conflict, once she'd finished her own meal Bonnibel announced that she was going to take a shower and then head to bed so she could get some sleep.

Bonnibel's shower was a quick one despite her usual habit of taking her time. Normally she would stand under the water, losing track of time as she concentrated her thoughts on things as menial as the number of tiles on her shower walls (there were seventy five and one third tiles, she recalled, unsure of when she had counted their exact number), the possibilities that unlocking the secrets to quantum mechanics could open up, and everything in between as she washed away the day's dirt and dust. As much as she would have loved to spend her usual amount of time showering her general fatigue and soreness had her all but falling asleep on her feet. As it turned out, surviving an explosion took quite a toll on an individual and she could feel the ache deep in her bones.

With a bit of the tension washed from her taught muscles Bonnibel climbed out of the shower and into the steam-filled air of her bathroom to begin toweling off. Once she was dressed she took a few moments to linger, standing in front of her mirror after wiping a hand across the slick glass to clear the condensation and eyeing her reflection. Something was different, strange, and the blonde couldn't put her finger on it. It was almost as if she were seeing herself through brand new eyes, giving her a new sense of clarity. The more she let herself stare at her mirror image the more she felt as though the person looking back at her was a stranger. It was unsettling, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as her head started to ache again.

Her shower finished and dressed in her pajamas, Bonnibel stepped out of her bathroom and into the bedroom. Soft snores caught her ear and she looked towards her bed to see Marceline already fast asleep, lying on one side and curled up with a pillow locked tight to her chest. The slumbering woman had been so completely worn out that she'd managed to slip into a deep, restful sleep without even properly changing if the evidence was to be believed; Marceline had slipped out of her jeans which were now crumpled in a pile along with her socks and shoes, and there was a pair of pajama pants draped over the edge of the bed next to her.

A smile found its way to Bonnibel's face as she regarded her friend for a long moment. She seemed so peaceful and unaware of any of the ills of the world, of anything that had transpired between them. It reminded the young scientist of days past when the her rocker roommate would stay up far later than she was able to in an attempt for the two of them to spend quality time together. Thinking back, Bonnibel hadn't understood the logic behind choosing to fall asleep in all manner of uncomfortable positions in the living room or the blonde's bedroom when she could easily have retreated to her own bed, but it was something she felt may have been an unappreciated gesture. Marceline had wanted to be close to her, she realized, and she'd made little effort to try and reciprocate. A sigh escaped Bonnibel's lips as she let herself linger motionless a few moments longer. There were many things that she regretted about the past, decisions that she would have given nearly anything to go back and change, but she knew better than anyone that it was simply a fact of life that you can only look forward, build towards the future. The question was what kind of future she wanted to work towards.

' _I'm gonna be a better friend to you, the friend you've deserved. I just hope that it's not too late to fix things._ ' Bonnibel thought sadly. She swallowed the emotion as best she could for the time being, letting the aches and pains of her body provide her with the assistance she needed, and went about helping Marceline into the bed properly. With the other woman sleeping comfortably, tucked in safe and sound, the blonde trudged into the kitchen, most definitely not looking forward to doing what few dishes were waiting for her. Which...turned out to be none.

Before Bonnibel sat the empty and spotlessly clean sink, the plates, serving bowls, and cutlery that had been used all drying on the rack nearby. On the counter top was a small note scrawled on a slip of paper in sharp handwriting that she instantly recognized. A smile flickered across the woman's lips as she read.

 _Dishes are done. Get some sleep, nerd. Love, Marcy_

Her chest filled with a warmth she thought had long left her, Bonnibel tucked the note into the drawer where all of the miscellaneous items that found themselves on her counter top went and tip toed back into her bedroom. Her lips were still turned up in her most honest and carefree smile as she lay down and climbed beneath her blankets, next to the still sleeping form of Marceline. Again the blonde contemplated how she could have been so stupid as to let the other woman storm out, taking her things with her over a stupid argument. Perhaps she could find it in her heart to forgive Bonnibel. Maybe there was a chance that things could go back to the way they'd been before. Those and other thoughts were lost in a sea of jet black, impossibly soft, strawberry scented hair that had fanned out across the pillows and that the blonde was currently burying her face in. Sleep came quicker and carried her deeper into that ocean of regrets and memories.

The next morning the chirp of Bonnibel's phone rang out and shattered the bliss of her dreams. She rolled over and froze as she felt the solid warmth of the woman sleeping next to her. In the disorienting fog of half-sleep she wondered who the person next to her was, as there was no way anything she remembered could have actually happened. But as she lay there, half-propped up on one elbow and gaping at her companion she was met with the reality that her memory _did_ serve her correctly. Marceline's sleepy frown was definitely confirmation.

"Yer phone." she grumbled, squinting through her eyelashes and against the vibrant morning light that spilled into the room from between the blinds.

"Sorry. I'll put it on silent." Bonnibel said quickly, voice hushed. Marceline shook her head before rolling back over onto her side, facing away from the blonde.

"S'okay, just letting you know." came the yawned reply, and before Bonnibel could follow up her friend was already letting out soft snores again. Shifting her weight as she moved to reach over the sleeping woman, she was once more stopped as Marceline half-rolled onto her back. The only thing standing in her way was Bonnibel's forearm, which was now 'trapped' beneath her shoulder. Obviously there was no way the younger woman was moving. She wouldn't risk disturbing her companion's slumber, not when they'd both survived something that could easily have done a lot more damage to them than it had. Instead she was satisfied with lying in bed, smiling to herself as she reflected on the past year she'd spent without Marceline.

Bonnibel missed the closeness, missed the late nights they would share as they sat up and talked about everything and nothing, missed evenings spent curled up by the fire as they tried to stay warm because Bonnibel's class load was too much for her to work and Marceline's father had been tight on the purse strings, insisting his daughter would spend any extra money on frivolous expenses. More than any of that, she simply missed Marceline. Her presence was familiar and brought with it a certain semblance of safety that nobody else had been able to offer. That kind of comfort came so rarely with the people in her life. It was difficult not to appreciate it, and equally difficult for the woman to keep her mind off the past.

When Marceline had first announced that she planned on moving out of the large apartment that they'd shared it had come as a sort of shock. The pair had been in plenty of arguments in the past, disputes that neither of them had taken to heart because they knew when they fought it was never pleasant. Both women had lifetimes of their own issues that fueled the way they addressed things, and sometimes those problems combined on bad days to create the perfect storm of vulnerability and apprehension that led to the worst of their arguments. So when the day finally came and Marceline loaded up the moving truck Bonnibel had been at a complete and utter loss. Hadn't they understood each other better than that? But...she had said some pretty unforgivable things, and there was one statement in particular that she would have given anything to take back.

" _Y'know, sometimes you're just a problem, Marceline!"_

Her own words echoed in her head and sent Bonnibel reeling back into the deep shame that she had carried with her since the moment those words left her lips. She had been heartbroken when Marceline left, but instead of trying to convince her to stay the blonde did what she did best and ignored every emotion-driven urge screaming at her to say that she was sorry, that she didn't mean the terrible things she'd said, and ask – no, _beg_ Marceline to stay, she completely threw herself into her studies. While it didn't help her make much progress as far as her interpersonal relationships, it did provide her with enough of a distraction that the pain only edged through once in a while, and since she worked herself to exhaustion time after time, fatigue helped her to maintain the illusion. She'd been that way since she was a child. When life got hard, Bonnibel Barton worked a hundred times harder. It had always had the desired effect in the past as long as she kept herself buried under a mountain of schoolwork and labs and extra time volunteering for whatever projects her professors needed assistance with. Sure, she was dog tired more often than not, but she was able to maintain a purely logical state of mind that remained free from the fog and confusion and distraction that her emotions left her with.

Unfortunately, despite her past ability to block out any of the unpleasantness that her emotions caused her, Bonnibel had been unsuccessful in distracting herself. No matter how hard she focused and worked and pushed herself there didn't seem to be any amount of formulas or equations that could help her forget about the gaping hole left in her heart by Marceline's leaving. It was almost as if the pair had been through a breakup, though they'd never had more than an incredibly and sometimes awkwardly close friendship. What made things worse was that Bonnibel felt responsible, and in her eyes rightly so. Guilt and regret were her constant companions. They constantly ate away at her and left her with more than a few sleepless nights as well as a sharp decline in the quality of her schoolwork. Falling short of the bar she'd set for herself with her professors did not go unnoticed, and one in particular was so concerned that he had personally petitioned the dean of the university and arranged for Bonnibel to take a short break, roughly a week that she used to keep herself locked up in her lonely apartment venting all of her shameful emotions and shedding her traitorous tears.

Truth be told the week off hadn't done her much good at all. Bonnibel spent the first three days lying around, sobbing quietly to herself as she let the television play in the background to at least give her the illusion that she wasn't alone. It didn't matter what she did, her mind was on Marceline, and in the few moments that she was able to focus on something other than the dark woman, with her flowing hair and her lyrical laugh and her winning smile, it was only a temporary reprieve; her mind always went _back_ to Marceline. At some point during one of her more emotional outbursts in her solitude the blonde had found the will to snatch up her phone and send Marceline a text message, asking if there was some way that they could possibly meet up to talk. To Bonnibel's surprise the other woman answered almost immediately, and they made plans for the following weekend that lifted the blonde's spirits a bit.

That rise was short lived. The visit had been uncomfortable, loaded to the brim with an almost palpable tension. Beforehand Bonnibel made it a point to rehearse her apology in her head as many times as she could. She wanted to make sure that she covered all her bases and didn't leave anything out. After all, her goal was to attempt to get her friend back into her life. When the time actually came, though, they merely sat across from one another at the table in the coffee shop, doing everything they could to avoid each others' eyes and make small talk. To say it had been strained was an understatement, and by the time everything was said and done they were parting ways with the argument not even being hinted at. That had been the last encounter the pair had before they met up with their friends nearly a year afterward.

Bonnibel's cellphone chirped again and she opened her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. Apparently she'd dozed off while letting her mind wander, and she was far from thrilled that her slumber had been interrupted. She did her best to slide her arm from under Marceline's neck, something the miraculously succeeded in without waking the other woman, and adjusted her position so she could actually reach over her and grab her phone this time. Her movements were met with a groan of protest. Just as she leaned over Marceline to grab the phone the woman cracked one eye and frowned, the crease between her eyebrows growing deep. Bonnibel practically snatched her phone from the nightstand and quickly settled herself in bed, leaning against the headboard as she sat up and gave her friend an apologetic smile.

"It's too early to person right now." Marceline grumbled. She rolled onto her side, facing Bonnibel and wrapping slender arms around Bonnibel's waist as she pulled the woman close in that protective way she always had before. "Put your phone away and come back to bed." she whined.

The butterflies in Bonnibel's stomach were whipped into an outright frenzy as she let herself be pulled down into the bed so Marceline could bury her face in the hollow of her neck. The blonde was doing everything she could to keep her heartbeat in check lest it belay the great deal of frustration that she was currently experiencing at the contact. She knew how she felt, though she'd never said the words even to herself. And if anyone ever asked she would deny it with everything she was. But no amount of denial could change the fact that all Bonnibel wanted in that moment was to kiss Marceline then and there, to lay bare her feelings for the woman in a dramatic and emotional display that would convey all of the feelings she'd kept bottled up for years in fear of ruining the friendship and leaving her at her most vulnerable.

' _No, Bonnibel. She moved out for a reason. It wasn't just the argument and you know it. You started to let yourself get too comfortable, too open, and you probably scared her off. After all, she could have anybody she wants, and you're nothing special. Just...stop it. Sit here, stay quiet, and enjoy this while you can. It's only a matter of time before you fuck it up again..._ ' the blonde thought through the stuttering of her heart beneath her ribs. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the muscle's rhythm, recalling her favorite song and letting it play through her head as she absently remembered that peoples' heartbeats tended to sync with the tempo of whatever music they were listening to. Perhaps singing the song to herself would have the same effect. Not that it mattered, Marceline had been snoring for minutes already though the other woman had only distantly realized it.

Bonnibel let out a long breath through her nose before raising her phone, sliding her thumb over the fingerprint scanner to unlock the device. The screen instantly jumped to life, the faces of herself, her mother, her father, and her brother Ned all smiling at her from the photograph she used as her background. Her attention didn't linger on them long as her eyes met the two notifications that were waiting for her. She opened the first text message with a frown of concentration. It was from her advisory professor informing her that one of her friends had contacted him and appraised him on the events of the past few days, going on to say that she was free to take as much time as she needed from class to recover from any injuries she'd suffered. That came as no surprise. The second message was one she found to be rather concerning. The message was from Lorraine; apparently Jake had been experiencing some concerning symptoms that included projectile vomiting and a list of other unpleasant things that resulted in her taking the man back to the hospital. Worry filled Bonnibel and her mind was instantly flooded will a million questions she wanted to ask.

As she began to type she was instantly stopped short as searing pain rocketed through her head and called forth a weak cry of anguish. Bonnibel dropped her phone, barely aware of the device slipping from her hand and landing on her lap, and gripped her temples as she bolted upright. The abrupt movement did her no favors and brought on a sickening wave of dizziness. Through the pain and the sensation of spinning the blonde was vaguely aware that Marceline was now awake and speaking to her, though the words themselves were drowned out by the agonizing migraine she'd been suddenly afflicted with. Just as the initial pain began to subside another wave rolled over her, stronger than the last, and left her with an inability to do much more than whimper as she fell to her side and curled in on herself. In those moments all she knew was torturous pain. It felt like she was being repeatedly lobotomized with a fire-coated ice pick, leaving her writhing and silently begging for it to just stop. The agony reached a fever pitch as it swelled yet again and part of Bonnibel was sure that she'd screamed that time. She couldn't be sure. The only thing she could focus on was the sensation of her skull being split open by whatever hellish beast was attempting to claw its way out.

An eternity later the headache finally dulled until it had faded into little more than a low throb at the base of Bonnibel's neck. When she was finally able to open her eyes she realized that somehow she had wound up resting in Marceline's lap as the woman cradled her, tenderly stroking her shoulders and back as she did what was obviously the only thing she could think of. She noticed the blonde's attempt to sit up and helped her do so, concern and worry evident in the heavy lines that were set on her angular face.

"What in the hell was that? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...I'm fine..." Bonnibel breathed. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose and doing all she could to will away the residual throbbing left in the wake of her migraine. "Just a headache."

"That wasn't 'just a headache', Bon. We lived together, I've seen your headaches, and not once have you actually screamed from one. Maybe...Maybe I should take you back to the hospital." Marceline said cautiously. While the concern was appreciated that irrational and insecure part of Bonnibel was almost angry at the suggestion that they go back to the hospital. In the past she would have no doubt made some manner of biting comment about how she wasn't a child and was more than capable of making those kinds of decisions for herself, that it was a headache and she could manage it on her own. Instead of opening that can of worms and causing yet another huge blowout of an argument, the blonde simply offered her best assuring yet pained smile.

"I'm fine, I promise. No need to go to the hospital. I just need some ibuprofen or something." Bonnibel replied, climbing out of bed and heading into her bathroom before she'd even really registered it. Truth be told her thoughts weren't coming through the thickness of the pain she still felt swirling in her head. As she stood before her medicine cabinet and stared into the mirror she found herself looking at a reflection so vivid that it was almost like she was looking at a stranger. She could see every imperfection, every detail of her face. The spattering of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks somehow stood out more than ever, and each and every one shone like a beacon. Her brain began to rattle off numbers until settling on some ridiculous figure that she somehow just _knew_ was the exact count of her freckles. And when had those lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth shown up? When had those seventeen strands of hair grayed? How had she never realized that there were flecks of ice blue scattered in the sapphire of her irises?

"Hey, Bonnie?" Marceline called from the bedroom, shattering the self-induced trance that Bonnibel had fallen under. She let out a slight gasp and gripped the bathroom sink to steady herself as she listened. "Would you mind bringing me some ibuprofen too? I think I might be coming down with something, I've got some serious body aches."

"Yeah. No problem." Bonnibel responded, raising her voice just enough to assure she was heard while not agitating her pounding head. She pulled back the mirror and opened her medicine cabinet, choosing to grab the entire bottle of pain relievers as opposed to just a few tablets. She returned to the bedroom and tossed the container of pills onto the bed, causing it to rattle loudly and the sound to reverberate between her ears, before stalking off into the kitchen and retrieving water for both herself and Marceline.

Ibuprofen taken, both women decided that it would probably be for the best if they got more rest, hoping that sleep would assist them on their road to recovery. They settled in bed, Bonnibel allowing herself to be wrapped up in the comfortable warmth of Marceline's arms. She couldn't help but think back to their high school days, when she'd fall sick and scenes like this had been commonplace. It was something else that left Bonnibel with a great deal of guilt. Marceline had always done what she could to take care of her, and it seemed that she was still willing to do so even after everything that had transpired between them. Memories of times long past mixed with promises for the future as Bonnibel let herself drift off to sleep, once again with the sweet smell of strawberries flooding her nose.

The next few days weren't at all what Bonnibel imagined when the plan for her ex roommate staying with her had been hatched so she wouldn't have to endure more time in hospital than was absolutely necessary. Their time was spent with both women in varying levels of pain and agony that resulted in them ignoring everything outside of the apartment's walls, including their cellphones. Bonnibel kept feeling like she was forgetting something in regards to her mobile, but every time she tried to remember what it was it usually resulted in yet another headache, so she'd all but given up on it. In the back of her mind she knew it had to do with everyone being hospitalized, but if she let herself concentrate on it too much she merely wound up in pain. And she had enough on her plate as it was. Marceline's aches increased in magnitude and frequency, as had Bonnibel's headaches, leaving her completely unwilling to do much more than exchange care duties with the blonde in the event one of them actually caught a moment's relief. To say that the pair were miserable would have been a gross understatement.

On day five it appeared as though the worst of their suffering seemed to be over. Marceline was still stiff and sore and Bonnibel was managing the persistent low ache in her head, but they had most definitely improved. Despite their increasing wellness neither woman was eager to run the risk of pushing themselves too far too soon. This resulted in the pair choosing to remain in bed save for long enough to cook, use the bathroom, or shower. It wasn't Bonnibel's ideal way of spending time with her friend, but something was most definitely better than nothing. As they lay there attempting to watch television all they could find were more and more news reports about the explosion on Main Street. If the broadcasts could be believed then there had been dozens of sightings of the suspect all across Reno, though the chances of any of them holding any truth were slim. No doubt if the police or the UGG investigators had any real leads there would have been an announcement, an arrest, something to indicate that progress was being made so the public could rest a little easier. There was none of that.

The utter lack of any real evidence and law enforcement's inability to name the woman they were seeking in connection to the incident raised more questions than anything else. In the day and age they lived in it was so easy to find someone that a toddler could manage it. There were traffic cameras on every street, security cameras in nearly every storefront, and to top it off each person in the world could be identified by a chip, unique to the individual, that was embedded in their arm at birth and could be tracked by any government agency entrusted with maintaining the security of the population and investigating crime. Sure, it wasn't the _best_ system, and of course the argument over basic civil liberties had been made as tagging and tracking citizens raised serious concerns, but after a trial run was made using inmates that were to be released from correctional institutions there was a marked decrease in the amount of violent crimes worldwide. That wasn't to say it completely disappeared, however. It was simply much less frequent. In the present day the majority of crimes committed were in the form of forgeries, hacking, and theft of digital assets such as documents or money.

With all of these technologies available, how was it that the UGG couldn't even provide the people with this one woman's name?

Marceline spoke, her voice dragging Bonnibel from her thoughts.

"Y'know, I don't think she did it." the woman remarked with a frown, her reddish-brown eyes locked on the television screen. Bonnibel knitted her eyebrows.

"Why do you think she's innocent?" she asked, stopping the scoff that wanted so desperately to accompany her words. "She was there when it happened, literally right in the middle of it all. And the UGG doesn't just launch global manhunts on a whim. From the looks of the camera stills and the little bit of clear footage they've released it's obvious that after everything happened she did her best to make a quick getaway. Seems like something a guilty person would do if you ask me."

"Yeah, but all of the traffic and security cameras in range of the blast were disabled. So they didn't actually get any footage of her interacting with whatever device caused the explosion. The shock wave alone was so powerful that we were thrown halfway down Main Street, so what evidence do they actually have that she did it?" Marceline explained. Her reddish-brown eyes slid from the television to Bonnibel, locking on the blonde's before she continued. "And...I was still conscious for a bit, Bonnie. I wasn't feeling too hot and was more than a little disoriented, but I was still awake, and what I saw?" She paused to point one slender finger at the television screen. "I'm telling you that woman is innocent."

"You'd just suffered what anyone would call a major trauma. The fact that we were all able to walk away from it only with the injuries we did have is nothing short of miraculous. There's every chance that what you _think_ you saw and what you _actually_ saw are two very different things." Bonnibel said as gently as she could manage without conceding her position. She didn't want to cause an argument but she also wasn't willing to start ruling out possibilities based on speculation and adrenaline-fueled memories. Marceline's scoff and the roll of her eyes was a telltale sign that she was growing irritated with the blonde's skepticism and was not yet ready to admit that her recollection of events could easily have been tainted with shell shock.

"Whatever. I know what I saw, and I saw her-" Marceline jerked her head in the direction of the television in a show of aggravation just as a picture of the handsome brunette who had been in the city center appeared on the screen. "-in the dead center of the blast radius, completely and totally untouched. It looked like she'd stepped out of a shower it was so freakishly casual. And she stood up, walked over to me, then knelt down and just...stared at me." She paused again, shaking her head as her eyes fell on the bed sheets, her thoughts nowhere near the apartment she was sharing with her friend. "It was almost like she was making sure that I was okay, like she was worried I'd been injured or something. I have no idea."

"She ran."

"Yeah, there were sirens."

"Sirens for ambulances and police cruisers."

"She probably ran because she was scared!"

"Scared she was going to get caught! Seven people died, Marceline. And considering how suspicious her behavior was I have a difficult time believing that her being there was a coincidence." Bonnibel argued, still refusing to give any ground. She realized her mistake, realized that she'd succeeded in initiating the argument she had been trying to avoid as Marceline glowered at her. Unfortunately for the blonde her pride wouldn't let her back down and it most definitely wasn't going to let her apologize, not yet. Not when she was still so sure that she was right.

"Believe what you want." came the terse response, though it didn't carry anywhere near the amount of venom that a thoroughly angered Marceline's words would have. "Even if she _did_ have something to do with it, I'm not sure that she expected things to play out the way they did. I can't see someone causing that kind of destruction and suddenly manifesting a conscience and checking on one of their victims." With that the woman rolled onto her side and hitched up the blankets, tucking them tightly around herself. "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. Good night." Bonnibel sighed. This was too much like the past. As she stared at the darker woman's back she let the conversation run through her mind again, picking it apart as she did and pinpointing exactly what she'd said wrong and correcting herself. There was no real point to it now, she admitted, the damage had already done and once more she was going to have to try for forgiveness from her friend. With a sigh Bonnibel flicked off her bedside lamp before grabbing the remote control and powering down her television. She tucked herself into bed as well, deciding that she'd sleep on everything that had been said and come at it fresh in the morning. Hopefully Marceline wouldn't be too angry with her once they were both rested and had a chance to talk more. And maybe, just maybe, Bonnibel would be able to apologize before Marceline pulled another late night disappearing act. After what felt like hours of simply lying in bed and replaying every moment she regretted over the years, she finally felt sleep begin to take hold, her mind absently registering that the only one of her friends she'd had any contact with in the past few days was Marceline…

The blackness of dreamless sleep was shattered as the scream of a klaxon pierced the silence of the bedroom. Bonnibel shot upright in bed, ignoring Marceline's cries of protest as she searched for the source of the infernal racket. The string of expletives that the raven-haired woman was uttering did little but add to the din, kicking up another headache for the younger woman as she finally found what had destroyed any chances they had of restful sleep for the day. It was her cellphone, perched precariously on the edge of her bedside table as the screen flashed. Something was very, very wrong, however. There weren't any ringtones on the device that sounded anything like that, absolutely no logical reason for the phone to be screeching in such a manner. As far as she knew the volume couldn't even go that high, yet here she was gaping at her cellphone as if it had sprouted a head and began serenading her.

"It's bad enough you've got the most obnoxious ringtone in the history of obnoxious ringtones, so instead of staring at it you wanna answer? God!" Marceline snapped as she yanked the pillow from under her head and clamped it over both ears, face buried in the sheets.

Bonnibel snatched up her phone and looked at the caller identification, hoping for some kind of immediate answer as to who was calling. All she found were more questions in the form of a string of odd symbols and letters that had taken the place of a phone number. And there was no name, no indication that this was anything more than an incredibly odd electronic malfunction. At the same time, everything else about the device's screen indicated that she _was_ receiving an incoming call. With a sigh and a brain rattling with all kinds of questions, she slid her finger across the screen and held the phone to her ear as the deafening alarm was finally silenced.

"Uh...Hello?"

" _There is no time for introductions. They have your friends, Finn, Phoebe, Jake, and Lorraine. They will be coming for you next._ "

Those words accompanied by the names of her friends, spoken by a feminine voice in the aether, chilled Bonnibel to the bone. Something about the woman's tone had been too severe for the caller to be an average prankster. And if this was some kind of practical joke then she had to give credit where credit was due, it was elaborate. Mentioning her friends had been a nice touch, effectively adding to the shock and horror of the situation. What if someone was actually coming for her and Marceline? What if her friends really were in danger? Or what if this was nothing more than some bored teenager trying to get a few cheap laughs? But...What if it was _actually real_.

"Look." Bonnibel began, trying to stop the tremble in her voice that was betraying the unbearable anxiety now weighing her down. "If this is some kind of joke, you're not funny. I've had a really rough week and I'm not in the mood for some kind of pra-"

" _I assure you that this is very real. I also assure you that there is no guarantee of safety for either you or Marceline in the event you are taken captive."_

"Who are you? Who would want to hurt us?" Bonnibel half-begged, hoping for at least some kind of answer before she launched herself into a full blown panic and brought Marceline with her.

" _You're running out of time, Ms. Barton. I suggest you act fast._ "

With those final words, spoken in a slow and careful manner meant to drive home the urgency of the situation, the call disconnected. Bonnibel could hear Marceline firing off questions behind her as she climbed out of bed, ignoring the chill of the tile beneath her feet as she let her legs carry her to the window. She lifted a few of the blinds and peered through the gap. Her heart jumped into her throat, choking out the gasp that was a millisecond behind it. On the other side of the street were two men in what appeared to be full riot gear, large block letters on the back of their Kevlar vests indicating that they were members of Reno's SWAT team. Rifles were strung over their shoulders as they held up a slip of paper and spoke to the woman who lived on the ground level apartment there. Bonnibel received another nasty shock as the woman raised one wrinkled hand to point in the direction of the apartment, both men turning to look. Without taking the time to try and process what was happening the blonde staggered away from the window, her blood running cold.

"Hey, Bonnie? Dude, you're acting weirder than usual. Wanna tell me what's going on?" Marceline asked in a gruff tone, her voice hoarse from sleep and one hand dutifully rubbing the rest of her exhaustion from her eyes.

"I...I think we need to leave..." Bonnibel barely managed, her mind sluggish from panic and barely able to comprehend what her friend was saying, what _she_ was saying.

"Wait, what? What the fuck, Bonnibel? You get some random phone call and start acting freaky and you just expect me to follow along?"

"We're...Uh...The woman on the phone said they're coming for us...And that they've got the others already." the terror stricken woman husked through the daze of shock and nonsensical events. None of this added up. Why would anyone be looking for them _or_ their friends? And more importantly, why did the people who were so eager to find them armed to the teeth and representing Reno law enforcement officials? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. If she could speak to them, find out what they wanted or who they were looking for, then everything would work out.

"Do you realize how insane that sou-"

Before Marceline could finish she was interrupted by the din of splintering wood and shattering glass from the front room. Bonnibel barely had enough time to register the rail of fear that shot through her as she pulled on her slippers and hauled Marceline out of the bed to do the same as the click of combat boots on hardwood began to ring out like rolling thunder. A quick look in the direction of the window and a glance towards her fear-stricken companion was all the motivation the blonde needed to start moving. It was a decision that quite possibly saved both of their lives.

Shards of wood rained down on them as gunfire drowned out even the pounding of Bonnibel's heart in her ears. Bullets continued to punch through the walls, following the path that the blonde was dragging her friend in by nothing more than a fraction of a second. She had grasped Marceline's hand and was hauling her to the floor and towards one of the bedroom windows, the one that led to the alley behind her apartment building and would most likely lead to safety. Even more pieces of jagged, broken glass showered down on them as that very same window was destroyed, the shooters spraying shots in every direction. In a move that surprised the blonde, Marceline grabbed her hand again and held it fast as they cowered amidst the debris of the ruined bedroom. It was the beacon Bonnibel had been looking for, the signal that would instill in her the courage to guide herself and her closest friend to safety.

As the gunfire ceased, the soldiers growing silent as they no doubt listened for signs of life, Bonnibel seized her opportunity. She wasn't even properly on her feet when she barreled towards the remnants of the window, Marceline's hand still clutched in her own as she was pulled along with the blonde. Bonnibel launched herself at the opening and threw herself into the cold winter air. She hit the ground with a pained grunt, the asphalt beneath her tearing through the elbows of her pajama top and her skin effortlessly. Strong hands were around her and pulling her to her feet and down the alleyway as Marceline took the lead. Both women stopped short and pressed their backs against the frigid brick of the apartment's exterior walls. For a moment Bonnibel was confused as to why they'd stopped. After all, they were fleeing for their lives. All it took was a quick visual sweep of the alleyway for things to make sense; they were about to cross in front of the kitchen window, which was in plain view of the area of the living room where the men had opened fire. Shuffling and heavy footfalls could be heard from inside as the men moved to check the bedroom for the two women they had targeted.

"We need to move. Now." Bonnibel said in a low and harsh whisper. Marceline turned to look at her, wide eyes fully dilated as adrenaline and fear mingled plain as day for the blonde to see.

"Where?" came the shaky response.

Swallowing hard, Bonnibel snatched up Marceline's hand and the pair broke into a dead sprint, the blonde leading the way as they continued in the direction the darker woman had started them in. A quick burst of shots rang out just as they passed the kitchen window. It was all Bonnibel could do to keep running and not succumb to the paralyzing shock of it all. And as they took one last look down the alley and saw the armed men clamoring through the windows after them it became that much harder. The only thing that had her grounded was the steady yet frantic thrumming of a pulse that wasn't her own in her hand. She had to keep running. They both did.

One of the men raised his rifle and took aim. Bonnibel wasn't keen on staying around to test the man's accuracy. She bolted down the sidewalk and pulled Marceline with her, not bothering to so much as glance over her shoulder. There was no doubt in her mind that they would be pursued, and as terrifying as it was for her to consider, their chances of survival weren't looking good. All they could do was run and hope for the best. Legs pumping, heart racing, and her skin on fire thanks to the firm hand in her own, Bonnibel felt the first glimmer of hope she had since this nightmare had started.

The traffic lights at the intersection flickered before each one of them turned red, effectively halting the passage of vehicles on the roadways, but allowing the women the perfect chance to potentially lose their pursuers. Finally deciding to chance a look behind them, Bonnibel felt her stomach drop as two of the men from her apartment shoved their way through a small group of pedestrians, headed right for them. Sometimes she spent too much time thinking, Bonnibel figured, and she let her legs operate of their own accord, carrying her across the street with Marceline at her side. Just as they stepped up on the curb the traffic lights flashed again, this time allowing traffic to resume and effectively cutting off their pursuers.

The feeling of honest hope that they would make it through whatever was happening had Bonnibel smiling as she ran hand in hand with Marceline down the street. She knew better than to assume they were out of the woods just yet, though. Sure, they had evaded the pursuit thanks to what had either been an immense stroke of luck or serendipity, but whoever the armed men were, they no doubt had friends who were prepared for this exact scenario. Marceline's hand tensed in her own and for a moment the blonde's thoughts were once more occupied by the feel of soft skin against hers, fingers laced (When had that happened?) and palms pressed so tight from panic that it was difficult to tell where one woman ended and the other began. It did nothing but add gasoline to the fire that was Bonnibel's determination to make sure they escaped free of harm...or that at least Marceline did.

If they stayed on the main streets they would be leaving themselves exposed on a number of fronts. If the men who had invaded her home really were members of Reno's SWAT team then their counterparts in whatever command station they were using would have already tapped into the traffic camera feed for at least a mile radius. And even if they weren't Reno Metropolitan Police Department affiliates, they were using rather sophisticated weapons and body armor, at least from what Bonnibel could tell. To think they didn't have ways of circumventing the security measures in place protecting public surveillance networks wasn't a mistake she was willing to make. Deciding that they needed a few moments to plan where they would go and what they would do, Bonnibel turned a corner that would take them to an alleyway that could potentially buy them the precious few seconds they needed to formulate some kind of strategy.

As luck would have it...they'd run out of luck. Bonnibel froze in her tracks and Marceline did the same after nearly toppling her over at the sudden cessation of movement, her heart stopping in her chest. There in the alley stood two more men clad in body armor that matched their comrades, weapons trained on their targets. That was the end, Bonnibel realized. She had tried so hard, did everything she could think of to get them to safety, and now they were both going to die in a filthy alley like animals. Unless…

A quick look behind her showed that their path of ingress was still clear. If they could run before the men could open fire then perhaps there was still a sliver of a possibility they could see freedom. And if it came down to it Bonnibel was more than willing to throw herself in the line of fire to assure that Marceline at least had a chance. Both women began to retreat, hands sliding apart as they prepared to turn on their heels and break into a dead sprint. As they moved to do exactly that they were yet again halted as a large white panel van roared into view and skidded to a stop, barring their path in a small cloud of smoke, exhaust, and burnt rubber. It was in that moment that Bonnibel understood what it was like to become prey to a skilled hunter, and it was the worst feeling imaginable.

There was no time for either woman to stop themselves from being swept up by the men in the alley and dragged towards the van. The panel door slid open as they approached and revealed a trio of men, only two of whom wore the body armor of the others while their companion wore a fashionable and expensive looking suit. Bonnibel struggled as hard as she could against the ironclad grip of the soldier who had taken her captive but her efforts were in vain. Both she and Marceline were lifted up and tossed into the van like luggage, and as soon as they hit the hard floor of the vehicle the door slid shut with a metallic scrape and hollow thud, plunging them into darkness. To further disorient both women, their hands were bound behind their backs, their mouths sealed with strips of tape, and black bags pulled forcibly over their heads. The sound of a struggle and Marceline's muffled grunts sent Bonnibel's stomach to rolling, but what made it worse was the very distinct crack of bone against bone followed by nothing more than the deafening hum of the van's engine and the rocking of the vehicle as it pulled away.

Heavy tears began to pour from Bonnibel's eyes as she did the only thing she could and waited to discover whatever fate awaited them. She blamed herself for her moments of hesitation, for the direction she'd chosen to run in, and for picking the alley she did to try and plan the rest of their escape. If she'd been quicker, had made different choices, then perhaps she and the one person she cared about more than anything wouldn't be heading towards what very well could have been certain death. But that was the thing about hindsight, she thought cynically as she and Marceline were whisked away into horrifying uncertainty. It was always twenty-twenty.


	4. Incarceration

**A/N: Aaaaaand, I'm back, right on schedule two weeks later! I was worried I wasn't going to get this chapter finished and ready in time due to a lot of craziness in my personal life, but I pulled it off with a few hours to spare! WHOO! Hopefully you folks find this chapter up to snuff. Feel free to leave me a review or drop me a message to let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from any readers, new or returning. ^^**

 **This chapter's on the short side compared to what I've posted so far, but it gets the story where it needs to be and if I would try to combine this one with the next chapter then it would be unbearably long, and I'm not trying to do that to you guys. Another shout-out to Plesiosaur for taking the time to proof for me and just being generally awesome. You should check out her stories, they're great! Anyway, here we go to the content warning!**

 **Content Warning: Language, violence, weird medical stuff, involuntary detention, and a pretty gruesome on-screen death.**

* * *

 **Incarceration**

All sense of the passage of time fell to the winds as the van continued on its path. Due to being forced to kneel on the hard floor of the vehicle Bonnibel's legs had gone numb from the knees down, her joints aching from the position she had been restrained in. But all of her own discomfort fell to the wayside as she sat and waited in vain for Marceline to regain consciousness. She'd been hit and had fallen silent at the very start of their horrifyingly hopeless journey, and that definitely did not bode well. Even more foreboding was that the van had finally come to a stop, the engine dying and replaced with the shuffling that signified that the other occupants were moving around. Bonnibel heard the panel door slide open and almost instantly there were rough hands grabbing her arms and hoisting her from the vehicle. The moment her numb feet touched the ground her knees buckled, and had circulation not been cut off thanks to how she had been forced to sit then no doubt her knees would have ached. What she could feel were bruises already forming as the men who held her roughly yanked her to her feet and pulled her forward with no concern as to whether or not she'd been hurt.

Doors opened, some controlled with electronic locks if the digital beeps she heard during their sporadic pauses were any indication, and Bonnibel was still completely clueless as to where she was, what was going on, or even if she and Marceline had been separated. The effectiveness of a thick, black canvass bag over a person's head was staggering; not only did it obfuscate whereabouts but it added to the overall terror that the kidnapping victim or whomever experienced. It wasn't until the din of heavy, solid metal grinding against stone filled the air that the bag was removed. Bonnibel was glad to have the damned thing off, she could see again. But what she saw made her stomach perform another flawless back flip. There was no time for her to protest before she was forcibly thrown to the cold concrete floor of what appeared to be a holding cell, devoid of any furnishings aside from a single tattered blanket that had been tossed haphazardly in one corner and a bucket that she assumed was for...No, best not to think about the bucket…

Bonnibel instead whipped her head around, half enraged and half panicked, and made a move to crawl towards the men who had taken her and her friend.

"Where is she!?" the woman demanded. She was met with an expressionless stare before the thick metal door was slammed shut with a resounding _BANG_ that bounced off the walls of the small cell, amplifying the sound and causing more than a little pain for the room's occupant. After flinching from the jarring noise Bonnibel was on her feet, throwing herself against the cell's door in what she knew was a wasted effort to get it open. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that the door was too thick for even a cutting torch to penetrate it, so her throwing her weight against it would do nothing more than win her more bruises than she would already have from the ordeal. So she did the only thing she could and stood on the tips of her toes, peeking out of the small slot in the door to try and catch even a glimpse of Marceline.

A gasp forced its way up from Bonnibel's chest as two men passed in front of the door carrying something – something that looked an awful lot like an unconscious woman that was being dragged by her arms. All she saw was long black hair draped over a pair of slender shoulders but that was all it took for her to know that she was seeing Marceline. They were only in view for a few moments as their footsteps echoed in the hall. They stopped, another door nearby opened, and there was a heavy thud that was probably Marceline being unceremoniously tossed to the floor of her own cell. The door was closed and the men walked away, their footfalls growing softer than the echoes they caused. Through the sounds she heard a loud electronic buzzer followed by yet another door being loudly shut. Once she was sure that their captors had gone Bonnibel took her chance to attempt to get some response from her friend.

"Marceline?" the blonde called out, her voice cracking under the weight of her fear. That sense of dread only compounded when there was no response. Bonnibel felt her knees finally giving out and she slid to the floor of her cell, forehead resting on the cold metal of the door. "Marcy, if you can hear me then please...Say something...Let me know you're okay..."

The only thing she heard were hushed whispers, no response from Marceline, and she felt like her heart was shattering. Then a soft, familiar voice called her name.

"Bonnie?"

Eyes wide, Bonnibel was on her feet again in an instant, desperately scanning what little bit of the hall that she could. All that sat in her line of sight was a door identical to the one she was looking through and the edges of what she assumed were the fronts of other cells. She couldn't see who had spoken to her but after years of friendship she knew the woman's voice without needing visual confirmation.

"Lorraine?" Bonnibel more said than asked.

"Holy shit, it _is_ you!" a man said with a deep and almost goofy laugh, another voice that she recognized.

"Jake?" the blonde laughed, half in disbelief that the mysterious female caller had indeed been right about her friends being kidnapped and half in relief that they were all still well enough to at least speak. And at the very least, Jake seemed to be in decent spirits all things considered.

"Phoebe and I are here too!" Finn declared from somewhere further down the hall, his voice booming as he shouted far louder than was necessary. Somehow the man had maintained his boyish and chipper demeanor even in the bleak situation they had landed in, which took Bonnibel by surprise.

"Uh...Finn, don't you think you're forgetting someone? Like, the most important person here?" a different woman scoffed in a husky and somewhat nasal tone. Yet another familiar voice, though the identity of the woman it belonged to evaded the blonde. After a few moments of awkward silence and realizing that nobody would speak up to identify the woman, Bonnibel decided to just ask.

"Who exactly is that?"

Finn let out an exasperated sigh that was nearly drowned off by an offended sounding choke. "Leslie Parker." the man breathed, sounding like merely speaking the name had his stomach turning. "We went to school with her, remember? She's sort of been stalking me for a while now?"

All it took was the mere mention of the woman's name to send a shudder down Bonnibel's spine. She did indeed remember Leslie Sarah Parker, or as she was more commonly known as, LSP. Back in their high school days Leslie had been the Queen of Gossip. It was common knowledge that if something happened, no matter who was involved or how much of a secret it was, Leslie would find out. That led to a false sense of popularity, as none of her peers dared cross her lest they run the risk of their dirty laundry being aired for all to see. It was unfortunate that many of her friendships were fear-based, because as Marceline told it she was actually a lot of fun to spend time with. If only her personality weren't so absolutely _abrasive…_

"Whatever, Finn! Get in touch with your feelings, babe! You know our love is the real deal!" Leslie yelled. There was a deep metallic thud that sounded an awful lot like Finn hitting his head against the door in frustration.

"Leslie, we slept together ONCE. ONE TIME. I told you then that it was a mistake and that it never should have happened and I'm telling you again, it was a mistake and it never should have happened!" Finn shouted in protest.

"It's okay, Finn! I know our first time wasn't all that great, but I went online and looked up like, some positions and stuff that I think we should try!" Leslie pressed, forcing Bonnibel to suppress a gag. The last thing she wanted to think about was the two of them rolling around between the sheets. "I'm ready for you now, Finn! Isn't it obvi? I'm _so_ ready!"

"Oh my GOD, can you please shut up? We're already trapped here, we don't need to be tortured on top of it." Phoebe growled, much to the relief of the others present who had been listening to the exchange.

"For real, though. Nobody cares about whether or not you two did the nasty, we don't want to hear about it." Jake agreed with the stressed edge to his voice he tended to get when he was nearing the end of his rope. Bonnibel swore she heard Leslie mutter the word 'rude' as the man spoke, though if anyone else had taken notice they said nothing.

"Jake's got a point. Instead of worrying about the past, maybe we should focus on the present and try to figure out what in the hell's going on here, why we were taken." Lorraine supplemented. There was a pause. When nobody spoke Bonnibel decided to see if they had any information at all that could lead them to some answers.

"You guys have all been here longer that I have. Any ideas?"

"So far we don't really have anything to go on for why we were all snatched up like this, or what whoever took us plans on doing." Jake said, his frustration obvious in the slight growl behind his words. "For now we're all going with the 'secret government experiment' theory, or at least I am."

"That sounds a little insane, even for you." Bonnibel chuckled.

"Normally I'd agree, but things seem to be adding up to that. Finn and Leslie have been here the longest, then Jake and Raine, and I've been here for about a day. Apparently they take blood samples on a daily basis. They send in an armed escort, same as the group that brought you and Marcy in, and we're taken one by one into some sort of weird mock-up of an exam room for tests. Reflexes, vision, stuff like that. And no matter how hard any of us have tried we haven't been able to get the doctors to answer any of our questions, they're as tight-lipped as the soldiers or guards or whatever the fuck they are." Phoebe explained in displeasure.

"How did you all get abducted?" Bonnibel asked, mainly to press for more information that perhaps one of her friends hadn't seen as relevant.

"I was checking the mail when a few guys with guns rushed me. Before I could really put up a fight I was knocked out." the redhead answered.

"Raine and I were leaving to head to the hospital again. I, uh...I was still pretty sick for some reason." Jake said quickly.

"And I was out on my morning jog. Leslie, stalker that she is, ended up distracting me while I was laying into those guys, and thanks to her I got the shit tazed out of me and we _both_ got picked up." Finn grumbled. In other words, they were about as clueless as Bonnibel and Marceline had been. But one thing nobody had mentioned was receiving any sort of warning beforehand.

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen before any of that?" the blonde asked.

"Other than the freak explosion on Main Street?" Phoebe said. Bonnibel didn't need to see the woman to know that she'd rolled her emerald green eyes, taking the opportunity even then to show her disdain for the blonde. Instead of feeding into it she decided to stick with her line of questioning.

"I mean, did anybody get any phone calls or texts or anything else strange?"

"No. What, did someone try and warn you?" Lorraine asked with nothing short of absolute intrigue.

"Yeah, and whoever it was made sure they woke us up in the most dickish way possible." came a grumble from the next cell over. With a start Bonnibel felt her chest swell with relief at the sound of Marceline's voice, gravely from just regaining consciousness and more than likely a bit of disorientation. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Some kind of makeshift holding facility? Nobody really knows." Bonnibel answered with a watery chuckle. Hearing her friend's voice had her more emotional that she had anticipated. But this was potentially a life or death situation. There was no guarantee that she'd ever actually see the other woman again. If aural confirmation that the darker woman was alive was all she would have then she'd take it until they could find some means of escaping. She'd failed Marceline once. She wouldn't do it again.

"I did have something weird happen..."Jake breathed. When Jake spoke, he almost seemed uncertain. About what, Bonnibel couldn't be sure. "We were heading to the hospital when we were taken. The reason we were going back was because...Well...I was real sick when we got home. I couldn't hold anything down, food, water, everything got puked right back up. It sucked, I was so hungry I really could have gone to town on one of my Everything Burritos, but at that point I figured it would be a waste to even try. So I just went to bed to try and sleep it off."

"Here's where we start to sound like lunatics." Lorraine interjected.

" _Anyway_..." Jake said, clearing his throat for added dramatic effect before he continued. "I woke up in the middle of the night and was so hungry that I HAD to eat, so I get out of bed and I got to the door and the next thing I know, Lorraine's screaming bloody murder and looking at me like I had a dick growing out of my forehead."

"I did _not_ scream bloody murder, and in my defense I think it was a fairly reasonable reaction to looking up and seeing your arms stretched across the fucking floor like that." Lorraine spat defensively.

"Wait, what?" Bonnibel asked with a frown, not sure she was understanding what they were telling her.

"His arms were _stretching_ , Bonnie. I don't mean that he was stretching out because he was stiff from sleep or that he was holding his arms at a weird angle or something like that. They were stretching, like elastic. Or...I don't know, it was honestly more like when you pull a piece of gum. He was standing upright, walking, but his hands were still on the bed. His arms just sort of...It's really hard to describe what happened other than saying that they stretched." Lorraine explained.

It was impossible. People couldn't just stretch themselves out like that. Not only was there no way for skin and muscle to accommodate that sort of strain, but there was the matter of bones impeding the actual stretching without breaking themselves. At the same time there was no reason for either Lorraine or Jake to lie about something like that. Jake, maybe as a prank, would try to pass that off. But his girlfriend wasn't a fan of the prank wars that he and his brother would engage in, there was no way in hell she would play along with one, especially given the circumstances. Rather than try to pick apart the information she'd been given the woman decided to give her friends the benefit of the doubt.

"Okay. Yeah, that definitely counts as strange...What about everyone else? Any weirdness?" Bonnibel asked.

"Not me, I came out of the hospital feeling better than ever!" Finn replied with obvious pride.

"How about spontaneous combustion?" Phoebe asked bitterly. Silence hung in the air as everyone waited for her to continue. With a sigh she did just that. "I was sick when I got home from the hospital too, but with a fever. My temperature just kept going higher and higher, it was crazy. Nothing I took would get it to break and it lasted for days. The last time I actually checked it was at one hundred and twenty three degrees."

"Yeah. Because _that's_ even _somewhat_ plausible..." Bonnibel scoffed, this time the one to roll her eyes. She may not have been pursuing a medical doctorate but she had read more than a few books on the human body and general health to know that something like that would have been fatal. "A fever that high would have killed you way before it could even get to that point."

"I know how it sounds, but you don't need to be a bitch about it, Bonnibel. And you apparently had no issues accepting Jake and Lorraine's story." Phoebe growled. "I'm not an idiot. I made sure that the thermometer was in proper working order, I even went out and bought three more and they all said the same thing. And right as the fever started to go down and I was feeling better I was abducted. In the process one of the soldiers grabbed me and I started to fight back. As I broke free and punched the guy I realized that my hand was on fire, but..." The redhead paused and took a breath, speaking again with her tone devoid of ire and filled with thoughtfulness. "The fire wasn't burning me. I got caught up staring at it and I guess because I wasn't pissed anymore due to the shock that I couldn't maintain whatever had happened, and it just sort of flickered out. That's about when the van pulled up."

"Okay, if this is legit, then can you replicate it?" Bonnibel inquired with more than a little venom and doubt in her voice. While she knew that lying about pyrokinesis wouldn't earn Phoebe anything she still wasn't quite ready to go ahead and put blind faith in the woman. Really, she wasn't willing to do the same in Jake's case either. She was a scientist, and science dictated that the things her friends were saying were absolute impossibilities.

"No, I can't. At least not yet." Phoebe remarked sourly. Obviously Bonnibel had struck a nerve, and if she was being honest she didn't much care.

"What about you two?" Lorraine asked, breaking the tension as much as was possible before an argument could spark between the two women.

"Not really. Just headaches, body aches, and that freaky as fuck phone call." Marceline grumbled. Her voice was much smoother now, the only roughness in it from anger and frustration, which was understandable.

"You sure nothing's happening with you two?" Phoebe asked in a manner than made it seem as though she were implying something. And Bonnibel definitely picked up on the implication, narrowing her eyes as she peered once more through the slat in her cell door in what was a pointless gesture since Phoebe was on the other end of the cell block from what she could tell. It was none of the redhead's business what went on between the two, and it's not like anything _had_ happened. More than anything Bonnibel was offended that the woman would say something like that out loud, that she'd try to start that kind of discussion while their lives could be hanging in the balance. She didn't have a chance to address it; just as she took a breath Lorraine spoke.

"Marceline, you said something about a phone call. What are you talking about?"

"It was the weirdest thing. We were sleeping and out of nowhere Bonnie gets this phone call from some random woman who apparently said we needed to get out of Dodge, that 'they' already had you guys and we were next or something. Didn't really do us much good, but...Yeah."

"Any idea who it was? Caller ID? Anything?" Phoebe asked, apparently intrigued. There was no opportunity for an answer as an electronic buzzer rang out and the door at the end of the hall swung open with a metallic creak.

Bonnibel and the others fell silent as heavy footfalls began to echo through the corridor. Each step closer made the blonde's heart pound harder and harder in her ears, fear running through her veins like a mighty river, crashing against the rocks of her resolve and whipping her up into a whitewater-like frenzy beneath the cool exterior she was fighting so desperately to maintain. The footsteps stopped just on the other side of her door and Bonnibel backed away just as one of the people outside peered through the slat in the door, his gaze somehow both harsh and vacant. After a moment there were a series of low beeps followed by the deep clang of a latch releasing. The cell door swung open to reveal two soldiers and a man who was a doctor. At least, Bonnibel assumed he was a doctor based on the teal medical scrubs he wore beneath a pristine white lab coat. His short black hair was trimmed close to his scalp and his beady brown eyes were magnified by the thick glasses he wore perched on his bulbous nose, and the man's lips were nothing more than a thin line as he regarded the woman before him as if she weren't actually a person, just another name on a piece of paper.

"Her." the doctor said coldly, scribbling something on the clipboard he carried in one arm. "We'll get to the next one as soon as we're finished."

One of the guards raised his weapon as the other silently jerked his head over his shoulder, a gesture meant to coerce Bonnibel from the cell. While she wanted to put up some form of resistance, staring down the barrel of an automatic rifle definitely made her rethink that course of action. Perhaps if she were also armed then there was a possibility that she'd fight back. As things currently were she was essentially defenseless. So rather than risk not only her own life but potentially the lives of her friends, the blonde stepped out of the cell without so much as a whisper of protest.

The doctor led the way, the guards taking positions on either side of the woman they were leading off into the unknown. As they passed the neighboring cell a smile flickered across Bonnibel's lips, her pace slowing markedly as she met Marceline's gaze through the small opening in the door. It was the first time she had been able to look into those beautiful reddish-brown eyes since they had been abducted, and for all she knew it would be the last, so she was in no hurry to break the connection. The guards however, had their own plans, and those plans didn't include a reunion between two of their prisoners. One of the men made a low growling noise that seemed to come from deep withing his chest just before he reached out and gave Bonnibel a rough shove. She stumbled and barely caught herself before shooting a glare in the man's direction.

"Hey! Keep your fucking hands off her!" Marceline roared, her words punctuated by what sounded like a high-speed impact and a deep metallic groan. Both guards raised their weapons while Bonnibel and the doctor jumped, both of them nearly falling to the floor with the shock of it. The bespectacled man was staring at the door with his eyes wide and the beginning of fear sweat beading on his forehead. As the blonde followed his gaze she saw why.

The door to Marceline's cell was warped and bent outwards, the pinnacle of the damage roughly the size and shape of a fist. But...how was that possible? Those doors were at least five inches of solid steel, there was no way that a woman Marceline's size – or any other human being, for that matter – could do something like that. The amount of strength required for a feat like that could only be described as superhuman. All the same, there they were staring at that damaged door.

"We'll get this one to the exam room. Find another guard to patrol the suite while you two relocate that one." the doctor said, his voice carrying only the faintest hint of a tremble.

It was impressive how well a simple doctor was holding himself together given what had just happened. Any other medical professional would have no doubt showed some degree of concern for the woman, prisoner or not. From what she could tell he seemed a bit desensitized to it, as if he'd been through things that made a woman nearly punching a hole through a door like it was a piece of sheet rock commonplace. The man headed down the hall once more, Bonnibel doing the same as the guards once more took their places on either side of her. The doctor quickly produced a key card from one of the pockets on his lab coat and swiped it over panel on the wall next to the door. The buzzer sounded, the locks disengaged, and the door swung open. All the while the guards took turns alternating between looking at Bonnibel and peering over their shoulders towards Marceline's cell, weapons held at the ready.

On the other side of the door was a new corridor, this one lined with windows that offered a perfect view into a number of medical suites. As she was escorted down the hall Bonnibel took note of the various pieces of equipment in the rooms, some of which she recognized and others that more resembled the stuff of science fiction films. Those were the machines that sent renewed fear pulsing through her in steady waves. It seemed as though she and her friends had been taken to some kind of secret medical testing facility, and there was no telling what kind of tests and experiments were being run on the men and women who were currently occupying the rooms. Nearly every suite was occupied save for one at the very end of the corridor. That was the room that Bonnibel was led to, the doctor joining her before the guards stepped out to follow the man's instructions and move Marceline to another cell, she assumed.

"Sit on the exam table and give me your arm." the doctor commanded, his eyes leaving Bonnibel for just long enough to grab an empty syringe from a nearby tray that held a variety of medical implements.

The blonde obeyed if only because she was at a loss for what else to do. No doubt there would be other guards coming to cover the two who had gone back to the cell block, so her chances of being able to overpower the doctor and flee without risking the safety of the others were slim to none. With what looked like a sneer the doctor rather forcibly jabbed the needle into her arm before drawing a vial of blood. Syringe capped and placed neatly on the tray, he looked at her with eyes completely devoid of any discernible emotion. Seeing that kind of coldness in someone's eyes was completelynew for her. It scared her more than the armed soldiers, more than being spirited away to some mysterious unknown location, and scared her more than the complete lack of any answers. The spell that fear cast was broken as Bonnibel saw a quick flash of black pass in front of the window to her room, drawing her attention. The doctor cast a quick glance towards the window but it was too late for him to catch sight of whatever had happened.

The man seemed satisfied with going about the examination, not bothering to check up on what had caught Bonnibel's eye so suddenly. She barely noticed him grabbing the small rubber-tipped reflex hammer from the same tray he'd placed the vial of blood on with how hard she was concentrating on whatever was going on. It wasn't until the doctor began testing her reflexes by tapping the hammer against her knee that her attention was back in the examination room. The reflex tool was placed on the tray and the man picked his clipboard up, scribbling notes. Another blur of color in front of the window yet again drew Bonnibel's focus. This time there was a loud thud against the wall of the exam room that caused both her and the doctor to jump, the man swearing under his breath as he began to correct whatever error the start had caused him to make.

A few moments later the door to the examination suite was opening and a guard entered the room, but the helmet the person wore seemed slightly too large for the wearer and it was angled low to conceal their eyes. From what Bonnibel could tell the entire uniform was a size or two too large, which seemed odd in itself. Every other soldier she had seen up to that point had their act together, their clothing the proper size and their gear properly secured. Something about this newcomer didn't sit right with her. As if to drive that point home the blonde's eyes found a small spattering of crimson against the sleek Kevlar vest the guard wore. It was blood. Why was there fresh blood spatter on the vest?

"How many times do I have to tell you people-" the doctor began with a growl as he spun on his heel to stare the guard in the face, angling his neck so he could properly glare at them over the rims of his glasses. "DO NOT INTERRUPT MY EXAMINATIONS! This is incredibly unprofessional! How daft do you have to be for that not to sink into that thick skull of yours!?" He paused as if waiting for a response. When none came he continued. "I'm going to make sure that you never work for this or any other organization again, you idiotic piece of sub-human refuse!"

As if to emphasize his point the doctor swung the arm that held his clipboard, striking the guard across the head. On top of causing the soldier's head to jerk to the side, the blow also succeeded in liberating the black helmet from its wearer, revealing that the guard was a woman with high cheekbones, long brown hair that she'd tied back in a messy bun for the sake of concealing it beneath her helmet, and striking sapphire eyes that held a dangerous edge to them as she kept them locked on the man before her. The woman stood up straight and rolled her shoulders, tilting her head to either side as her neck crackled with the motion.

"I do not think you will need to worry about that, _Doctor Purcell_..." the woman all but hissed, her voice cold and severe and hauntingly familiar.

Bonnibel recognized it instantly, knew who the woman was before it really sank in. She still hadn't properly processed it when the woman launched herself forward, gripping the doctor and spinning him before she grabbed a fistful of the hair on the back of his head, slamming his face into the wall. In his disorientation it was too easy for the brunette to overpower him. She wrestled with him until she had a firm hold on his chin with one hand and the back of his skull with the other. The doctor – apparently Dr. Purcell, though Bonnibel knew that at this point it made no difference what his name was – put up as good a fight as he could through the haze of a head injury that was leaking blood like a sieve. Each panicky and choked out whimper he made caused the grin of sadistic delight on the brunette's lips to widen. Each centimeter that she slowly turned his head made her eyes that much darker. And then, with a single quick jerk and the sound of bone splintering and tissue tearing, the doctor fell to the ground, his neck broken and his lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling.

The brunette stared down at the dead man, his neck twisted so severely that his head was on backwards. It was horrifying, grotesque, but in that moment Bonnibel couldn't help but feel a bit of relief. This woman, the same woman that every civil protection agency in the world was currently hunting, the number one suspect in the explosion on Main Street, and the woman who had placed the mysterious phone call that had alerted the blonde to the danger they were in, was attempting to save her ass for the second time. The intimidating woman wrenched the lab coat off of the dearly departed doctor as quickly as she could without completely soaking it in the blood that was beginning to pool beneath the corpse before tossing it to Bonnibel.

All of the unanswered questions she had could wait. For now Bonnibel was content with following the brunette's lead if it meant she and her friends would get out alive assuming her savior could be convinced to rescue the others as well.


	5. Fight and Flight

**OH, WHAT, IT'S AN UPDATE!? After what can only be called a trying and interesting period in my life, I'm back to semi-consistent writing! Work is crazy and I'm pretty much on call 24/7, so there are plenty of days when I don't get anything outside of that accomplished, but I do promise everyone that I'm working my hardest to finish my rewrites and get them posted as quickly as possible. Hopefully you guys and gals find the revised content worth the wait!**

 **I've noticed that I've had a couple of new followers and favorites during the course of my rather lengthy break, and I just want to say thank you! I appreciate the support, from new and current readers alike. Anyway, enough of me rambling. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or send me a PM! Let me know what you think! Thanks again to all of you. I'm sure it'll be good to be back.**

 **Content Warning: Violence, language, blood and gore. It's an action chapter, folks, fasten your seatbelts.**

 **P.S.- I'm in need of a proof-reader! If anyone's interested then please PM me and let me know, I'd love to speak with you. Thanks again, and here's the chapter!**

* * *

 **Fight and Flight**

"Who exactly are you?" Bonnibel asked, her eyes locked on the strange woman who had come to her rescue in a terrifying display of brute force and stealth. The woman was currently standing in front of the window of the examination room, peering out and keeping a close watch on both sides of the corridor outside, her hands tightening around the rifle that had previously been secured behind her with a shoulder strap. With a sigh Bonnibel shrugged on the lab coat the woman had handed her, resigning herself to remaining in the dark for the time being. There was one question she would ask though, an inquiry that she refused to accept 'no' as an answer for. "Look, my friends are here. I guess you already know that, though...Are we going to break them out too?"

"Yes." the woman replied curtly. She shot a quick glance towards the blonde before starting towards the door. "If you are ready then I suggest we move quickly."

"What about the people in the other exam rooms? Won't they see us? And the guards, the, uh..." Bonnibel paused and swallowed hard, making it a point not to look at the dead man lying in the center of the room as she slid off the table and straightened her coat out. She cleared her throat and continued. "The doctor sent them to move Marcy into a different cell. Do you think you'll be able to get us past all of them?"

"The people in the other exam rooms will not suspect anything. All they will see is a doctor and a guard heading toward the cell block. As for the _real_ guards, they are as much of a threat to us as the good doctor there. One of them was even kind enough to loan me his uniform and weapons. We should not encounter any difficulties so long as we make haste. The next patrol is due in approximately ten minutes." the woman explained as casually as if she were discussing the weather. It was off-putting to say the least, and a mystery in itself that anyone could go about a life or death situation with such nonchalance.

"How do you know all of this?"

A few moments of silence passed before the brunette turned to her, one eyebrow arched expectantly. Bonnibel heaved a frustrated sigh, trying not to let her displeasure at being led around without a clue as to what was going on show. The last thing she wanted to do was anger the woman who currently held the guns. It wasn't as if she was really getting any answers anyway. So without another word Bonnibel attempted to mentally prepare herself for whatever was about to come next. She followed the woman masquerading as a soldier out into the corridor, doing her absolute best to maintain a guise of casual confidence. She was dressed as a doctor, and for all anyone else knew she was exactly where she needed to be, so there was really nothing to worry about, right?

Those thoughts were cut short as she chanced a look behind her to see both of the guards crumpled in a pile against the door on the far side of the hall, one of them stripped down to nothing but his small clothes. Both of the guards who had escorted Bonnibel and the doctor from the cell block were obviously dead. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the situation knowing that this woman was now directly responsible for not one, but three separate deaths, and that was with the assumption that she _wasn't_ responsible for the explosion in the city. Either she was completely insane for trusting this stranger or it would be the best leap of faith she had ever taken. Only time could determine which. For the time being only one thing was certain: whoever this woman was, she was apparently well-trained and damn good at infiltration.

Bonnibel stopped short of bumping into the brunette as she came to an abrupt halt in front of the door that led to the cell block. The woman produced a key card from her borrowed tactical vest, holding it up to the scanner before the locks disengaged with a clang that nearly drowned out the electronic buzz that accompanied it. The pair stepped through the opening, the stranger closing the door and lingering near the electronic panel on the side of the cell block. After another series of high-pitched beeps all of the cell doors swung open at the same time, creaking so loud in unison that Bonnibel flinched against the noise.

With everyone now free, at least from the tiny rooms they were being held in, they were able to celebrate their reunion. Jake and Lorraine almost instantly found their arms around one another, Finn taking a moment to wrap the pair of them up in a bear hug of his own before gravitating towards Phoebe to see how she was. Despite their liberation the redhead seemed as irritated as ever, barely acknowledging Finn as he tried to speak up over Leslie, who was busy gushing loudly over how scared she was but how she just _knew_ her "man" would find a way to free them despite him having done nothing at all.

Then came the one smiling face that Bonnibel wanted to see more than the rest. Marceline, tired but looking otherwise alright, emerged from her cell and flung herself at the blonde in a tight hug, squeezing her so hard she could barely breath. She was so happy she could cry, relieved that her friends all seemed for the most part unhurt, and now that they were all free there was at least a chance they could manage a complete escape and figure out how in the hell they would go about trying to convince authorities that any part of their story was based in truth. For now she was content to embrace her friend and simply enjoy the contact with her. After a few moments Marceline pulled away and looked Bonnibel up and down.

"You're not hurt or anything, right? They didn't do any weird sort of evil science stuff on you, did they?"

"No, what fantasy world are you living in?" Bonnibel chuckled. "All they did was tap my knee with a reflex hammer and take a blood sample."

"Whatever. That's the last time I worry about you enough to ask how you are." Marceline joked in response, faking a quick pout before she realized what everyone else was also just noticing. "Wait...It's _you_!" The rest of the group watched as the raven-haired woman approached the stranger that had been in the cell block with Bonnibel when the doors opened – a stranger who was dressed like one of the heavily armored guards in the facility but wore the face of the world's most wanted fugitive. Marceline had a look on her face that was akin to childlike wonder. With a quick glance in Bonnie's direction before her eyes went back to the brunette she grinned. "You're the one who called us, aren't you?"

"I am." came the simple and flat response.

"Wait a second, you're the woman they're currently on a manhunt to try and find! How are we supposed to trust you? In fact, what in the hell are you even doing here to begin with? I'm willing to bet good money that you're in with whoever had us locked in these tiny little boxes to begin with!" Phoebe growled accusingly, narrowing her eyes.

"What choice do we really have, Phoebe? Even if she was working with whoever these people are at one point, she obviously isn't anymore...Right? I mean, if you did work for them then you'd be really bad at your job, letting us all out like that." Jake supplied, throwing in a joke to try and dissipate some of the tension. It didn't have much of an effect.

"I'm sorry that I have trouble trusting some random woman who shows up dressed like the same guys who have been treating us like punching bags whenever they get the chance, whose face has been plastered all over the global news as the primary suspect in an attack on the city that easily could have killed us all. You guys all seem to be trying to ignore the whole 'suspected terrorist' thing pretty fucking hard." the redhead continued to argue.

"She's right, you guys. I mean..." Finn paused and turned to the newcomer with a scoff. "What reason would you have to help us anyway?"

"Why are we all standing here debating this when we should be getting the hell out of here?" Bonnibel snapped angrily, throwing her hands up in the air as she shook her head. "What's it matter why she's helping us? She's helping, and frankly we could use it. And I don't know about you guys but I'm starting to think that there's something more to this whole bombing-slash-terrorist attack thing, like details are being left out and we're not being told something." She turned to Phoebe and continued. "If you have any better ideas about how we're going to get the hell out of here then I'm all ears, Phoebe, but otherwise maybe it's best if you shut up and listen to someone else for once."

"Whoa, that was a little too far..." Finn remarked

"No, it wasn't, she has a point. Bonnie's right, based on what we know about our situation the smartest thing for us to do is go with...um..." Lorraine paused, clearing her throat before she turned her gaze to the stranger with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've asked your name."

"Her _name_? For fuck's sake, you really think asking for her name is gonna make a difference when she's got one of those guns pressed against your head? WE. CAN'T. TRUST. HER." Phoebe loudly protested.

"Fine, then what exactly do you propose we do? Because like Bonnie said standing here and arguing isn't doing us any good." Marceline snapped.

"Yeah, of course, jump right on the bandwagon. After all, it was your girlfriend's idea, right? Gotta side with her or else she'll completely cut you off and stop talking to you again."

"Shut the FUCK up, Phoebe! I'm warning you, now you're pushing it a little too far!"

A gunshot rang out, cutting everyone off and making them flinch with the exception of Finn who had fully thrown himself to the ground. All eyes went to the brunette as she stood, expression as placid as ever, her handgun pointed towards the ceiling. Once everyone had recovered the woman approached Jake, holstering her pistol before gripping her rifle and pulling the strap from over her shoulder. She pressed the gun into his hands and turned to face Lorraine.

"You may call me Alexis. If you are all done with your...discussion...time is a factor and we should be on our way." the brunette said, once more taking everyone by surprise. Even Bonnibel had to admit she hadn't actually expected the woman to give her name.

"About that. I'm guessing you've got a plan?" Marceline asked with a small and hopeful smile.

"We will proceed through the complex and through the central junction to the other side. From there we will be able to access the surface level, specifically the parking garage, where a secured vehicle is waiting. If there are any deviations from the plan in any way that result in something going wrong I will remain here in the facility to secure your escape and rendezvous with you at a safe location." Alexis explained. Then she turned to Bonnibel, digging in her pocket for a moment before producing a device roughly the size of her own cell phone and handing it to her. The blonde accepted it and frowned as she quickly turned it over in her hands and examined it. "This is a heavily encrypted pre-programmed GPS device. The route that is plotted is the quickest and safest route to the rendezvous site. In the event you are captured, pressing the button five times in quick succession will initiate a cascade failure and the device will be rendered useless. In the event the device's physical integrity is compromised the same will occur. Keep this with you, you will need it in the event I must separate from the group."

"So, you're saying that if you're not there when we get to the parking garage to just leave without you?" Marceline asked with a scowl.

"Yes. It is imperative that you all reach the safe house." the brunette said flatly.

"Look, I appreciate the gesture and all, but if we're getting out of here then we're doing it together." Bonnibel said, ignoring a scoff from Phoebe. "You've done this much for us, the least we can do is make sure you've got a ride out too."

"While I appreciate the concern I assure you that there is no need for it. If I am forced to find an alternative means of reaching the safe house then I will improvise." Alexis said, the corner of her mouth quirking up into an awkward yet somehow reassuring grin.

Without warning the electronic buzzer for the door separating the cell block from the medical suites sounded and the door swung open with a creak. Everyone turned at once to see a person, or at least it _looked_ like a person, dressed in a black suit and tie step into the corridor with a sense of urgency. The man (though he didn't look quite right, something was just wrong about him to Bonnibel) froze, eyes hidden by dark sunglasses but no doubt locked on the group and the trespasser who had assisted them. The man took a deep breath, his throat ballooning out almost as if it were inflating along with his lungs, and let out a roar that reverberated off the walls. As he – or it, as Bonnibel was beginning to suspect more and more that whatever this thing was it wasn't human – wailed, the deep fear emanating from within everyone at the sight of the creatures in suits made complete sense. The being's jaws and mouth began to distort and stretch, widening until it threatened to split his head in two, lips peeling back to reveal two rows of dagger-like teeth that glinted like razors in the flickering light of the cell block.

Alexis spun around to face them, mild panic (the first real and readily identifiable emotion that they had seen from the woman) on her face as she began to shove and push everyone towards their exit. By the time Bonnibel managed to wrench the door open and she and the others had started through her heart was slamming so loudly in her chest that it nearly drowned out the monster's screaming. A single word shouted urgently by Alexis managed to pierce the chaos: "RUN!"

Without so much as a moment's hesitation Bonnibel obeyed, her friends following her lead once they were all on the other side of the doorway. She shot a glance over her shoulder to see the monstrosity in the suit now on all fours, limbs bent at unnatural and impossible angles as it raced after them far faster than it should have been able to. Most of the group had made their way down the hall with the exception of Alexis. The tall brunette was still at the door, hands on the edge as she put her weight behind an incredibly forceful twisting motion to try to slam the door shut before the creature reached them. Unfortunately the woman wasn't quite fast enough and instead of closing the monstrosity off from the group she succeeded in trapping its head between the door and the frame, liberating it of its sunglasses as the skull warped sickeningly, as if it were made of gelatin. The one thing that unnerved Bonnibel the most about the whole situation was the thing's eyes, or rather the lack of them. In place of eyes the creature had two pitch black pits that seemed to stretch on into an endless void, the only trace of anything other than nothingness being the pinpricks of green in the centers of the orbs that were zipping frenetically between the fleeing group and the woman that currently had it trapped.

As honestly curious as she was to see how the conflict would turn out Bonnibel decided to put her faith in Alexis and simply run, glancing down at the GPS device in her hands as she went to make sure she wasn't leading her friends into a dead end. Heart slamming against her ribs and lungs burning for air, Bonnibel gulped in as many breaths as she could while scolding herself for not keeping up with her physical fitness routine better. She shot a quick glance behind her at the group before skidding to a halt, all of them also out of breath and looking just as panicked as she felt. That was when the blonde realized that Marceline and Alexis were nowhere to be seen. There wasn't a chance for her to voice the fact before the door nearest the group opened. Bonnibel spun around and found herself staring at her own bright blue, terror-stricken eyes reflected in the polished surface of the armed guard's visor. Yet another disturbance caught the attention of the hall's occupants in the form of Marceline barreling around the corner at the far end of the hall, sneakers squealing against the slick tile beneath her feet, while what sounded like a weak and breathless scream emanated from her. She continued sprinting towards her friends and their unwelcome guest and turned around to sputter as she fought to calm herself, pointing one finger in the direction she had just come from.

"HEY! F-FREEZE!" the soldier stammered in as authoritative a voice as he could muster, just as confused and scared as they were from the sound of it. He raised his weapon in trembling hands and trained it on Bonnibel and the others. He seemed uncertain of what to do, and frankly so was she in that moment. All of the guards they'd seen up to that point seemed to be little more than emotionless drones, the hammers that were sent to pound against the anvil without thought or question. As terrifying as the idea of dealing with more of them was, somehow seeing this young man obviously at as much of a loss as they were was worse.

"No...time...Gotta run...NOW." Marceline gasped, having steadied herself enough to manage at least that much. Bonnibel turned to look at the disheveled woman, to ask her to elaborate on what had happened to make their situation that much more dire, but as she began the motion a blur of motion at the far end of the hall took them all by surprise.

A sickening and deep thud rang out as Alexis and the same creature that had been pursuing them hurtled into the wall, a result of the monster throwing itself into the woman as hard as it could. They crumpled to the floor in a writhing mass of struggling limbs, gnashing jaws, and panicked yet precise maneuvering that separated the tenacious brunette from the razor sharp fangs that were snapping in search of her flesh. Everyone, the guard that had drawn on them a mere moments ago included, was rooted to the spot as they watched the odd spectacle unfold. Truth be told Bonnibel couldn't help but relate the situation to a scene from some kind of monster movie where the heroine, to keep her party of friends from harm, has to wrestle some kind of otherworldly beast with her bare hands. Only, they weren't in a movie, there were no safety measures in place to protect them and nothing was scripted.

As if to demonstrate that exact point, Marceline lurched forward, past Bonnibel and out of her reach and towards the pair that had been slowly making their way down the hallway as they tussled. Though the blonde's hand caught air when she reached for her friend the guard was much more successful, wrapping his arms around the woman's shoulders and pulling her back. Of course Marceline struggled, that was to be expected. What Bonnibel hadn't expected was that the guard wasn't nearly as prepared for his line of work as he should have been. Whatever form of close combat training he had received was bogus, and in the first punch she threw Marceline was already wriggling free. But the guard was persistent, and once more he grabbed onto her. Now there were two pairs of individuals grappling for control of their situations. It seemed that as completely insane as things had been there was still room for them to get even crazier.

That was when she heard it. The sound, a very light metallic click, was very nearly drowned out by the commotion of everything else going on in the fairly small space. Bonnibel heard it, though. In fact, she was the only one who had. One glance at Marceline's wide eyes and blank expression as she gaped at the small metal ring in her hand before letting her eyes trail to the tactical belt slung around the guard's chest confirmed Bonnibel's suspicion. In one swift motion she lunged forward, gripped the guard by his body armor and slung him right back through the same doorway he had emerged from.

"IT'S A FUCKING GRENADE!" Bonnibel shrieked as she slammed the door closed and began to run. The sound of numerous sets of footfalls behind her had restored some hope. They may still have a chance to walk away shrapnel and hearing loss free depending on how long the detonation delay was. All that mattered was that everyone made it out in good enough shape to press on. A quick glance over her shoulder caused the blonde to nearly trip over her feet and slam face-first into the ground. Marceline, as utterly terrifying and completely _stupid_ as it was, had yet again gone back to try and help Alexis, putting her not only on the wrong end of the hall, but also dangerously close to what was probably the grenade's damage radius.

Then a sudden blast rang out, the heavy concrete wall of the room the guard had been in exploding outward in a shower of dust and rock. Based on that alone Bonnibel knew that had she not acted when she did that they most definitely would not have had high chances of walking away. Unfortunately as the smoke cleared she realized that it had created a completely different problem for them in the form of a massive structural collapse that filled the area of the hall between them and Marceline.

"There's a plan C..." Jake began hesitantly, his brow furrowed in worry and his voice cracking slightly from fear. "Right?"

"You're not gonna like it." Bonnibel sighed as she frowned first at the rubble before her and then down at her horrifyingly empty hands.

"I swear to God, dude, if she says it I'm gonna have an aneurysm..." Phoebe grumbled, scoffing as she went.

"We're kind of literally at a dead end." Lorraine said with a shake of her head before she met Bonnibel's gaze. "Whatever you have in mind is better than nothing, I'm sure. And we don't really have much time for debate, so..."

"Yeah, Bonnie. Just tell us, what's the plan?" Finn supplied with a grin, awaiting what had jokingly become the blonde's catchprase of sorts during their time in school.

"We're gonna have to improvise."

* * *

The sound of a groan from somewhere to her left cut through the high-pitched ringing she heard and brought Marceline back from the brink of unconsciousness, sending her adrenaline pumping all over again. She forced her aching and sore limbs to obey and pushed herself to her hands and knees before staggering to her feet and taking in her slightly blurry surroundings. A good portion of the hallway had collapsed, cutting them off from the rest of the group and their path out, and half-buried in the rubble were what looked like the remnants of a suit-clad arm and torso, trapped to lie motionless in their stone tomb. Not far from there lay Alexis, sprawled out amidst the debris but appearing no worse for wear. As the brunette stood and dusted herself off Marceline decided she would go ahead and ask the obvious question.

"How are we supposed to get out of here now?"

"We will stick to the plan." Alexis responded flatly.

"The plan?" Marceline repeated with a sardonic chuckle. "The _plan_ was to follow the route you laid out so we could get the hell out of here. How in the legitimate fuck do you expect us to do that when Bonnibel's the one with the damn GPS device!? And knowing her she's gonna turn around and try and find us, so really, now we're all fucked."

Even she could hear the panic in her own voice, the hopelessness that was taking root and spreading through her like a cancer. From the start it seemed as though something was pushing them towards more and more misfortune, as if their suffering was nothing more than an inevitability that they were futilely running from. Now Marceline was struggling to keep her darker thoughts at bay, thoughts along the lines of at least one of the pair of them being doomed, and that same part of her insisting that she knew it would be her. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hardly noticed the sweat forming on her face and neck or the pain that was emanating from her scalp because she had unconsciously gripped her hair in frustration.

"Marceline." Alexis said, somehow stern and gentle all in one go. Her eyes, that brilliant sapphire blue, almost seemed to promise safety, and if that was the case then it was a promise that Marceline was more than willing to put her faith in. After all, the chances that they would have made it even this far on their own were minuscule and even she knew that. " _Our_ route was the one cut off. Ours. And something tells me that, given the situation, Bonnibel may be inclined to proceed with the original plan as well."

"Oh? I would _love_ to know what you're basing that on considering the fact that, unless you're some kind of God-tier stalker-slash-hacker, you would have absolutely zero chance of knowing anything about the kind of person she is _or_ how she thinks." Marceline snapped. She watched as Alexis assessed her, eyes narrowing slightly though her face otherwise expressed no emotion. It was eerie, and for a moment Marceline was certain that she would end up in a physical altercation with the woman. The thought wasn't one she relished. Thankfully Alexis broke the tension that had manifested around them with a simple sigh.

"I know that Bonnibel is intelligent. Her path backward is blocked, her only option is to continue moving forward. That laboratory we crossed through was not always used for that purpose. This facility was originally designed by the Federal Government of the United States of America during the cold war as a nuclear weapons research site. The structure itself is like an iceberg, the tip is visible on ground level while the remainder lies buried beneath the earth. Topside it appears as a typical office structure, though devoid of any kind of insignia or branding. The subterranean areas were constructed in the shape of a large bisected cylinder connected by a security checkpoint. That security checkpoint is now the laboratory, meaning that this hallway is her only means of accessing that area of the facility again." the woman explained, her voice almost monotone as she explained. It did nothing to help Marceline attempt to pay attention, though from what she could tell the brunette was telling her that the hallway they were in – on the wrong side of a cave-in – was the only way for Bonnibel to get to them and…

"So this is the only way out then? Jesus...We really are fucked. I'm dead. I-"

"Nobody will be dying here today, Marceline." Alexis said softly, soft enough that the other woman couldn't help but let shock overtake panic as she turned to see her companion looking at her with what appeared to be a reassuring (or maybe sad?) smile. Before Marceline could start in on everything the woman had said, how at this point she had proven to be nothing but a walking contradiction, the brunette continued. "This hallway is Bonnibel's only means of accessing the other area of the facility, but it is not our only way of getting to them."

"Why couldn't you just say that?" Marceline managed to growl, stuck somewhere between hopeful enthusiasm and pessimistic dread. Then she remembered something, information she hadn't so much as pondered since her high school project on pre-UGG infrastructure, specifically how people would rig complicated ventilation systems in every structure imaginable to make sure that harmful toxins were kept away from the lungs of hardworking men and women while also supplying them with vital, breathable air. Marceline knew where this was going and she didn't like it one bit. "We're climbing through some vents, aren't we?"

"We're climbing through some vents." Alexis confirmed, the corner of her lips twitching up for a split second, almost like she was amused with the entire situation. Marceline swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat when she wasn't paying attention. It wasn't that she was necessarily claustrophobic, just that she and tight spaces agreed that they should never meet.

"There's no other way, is there? Like, absolutely no other way?" she asked desperately.

"None that could accommodate the size of two adults."

"Of course." Marceline sighed with nothing short of pure dread. It was unavoidable, then. "Well...I mean, lead the way or whatever. We're not getting anywhere just standing around."

Without another word Alexis proceeded back towards the security checkpoint-turned-laboratory and disappeared around the corner. Marceline started after her, hesitating for a moment as something caught her ear. It almost sounded like stone shifting against itself, or maybe a growl, but a look around her shed no light on the source. She considered that it was the suited monster, that somehow those things were able to defy logic and survive being crushed. An eternity of tense silence and no further sound later Marceline jumped as she turned to see Alexis once more standing before her.

"JESUS f...UGH!" Marceline exclaimed, pushing past the brunette and storming towards the laboratory. She hated being scared like that, probably about as much as she hated tight spaces. Those were just two more reasons that she absolutely detested everything about this situation, she realized.

* * *

As she stood her ground, her fists clenched at her sides and her jaw set, Bonnibel was secretly sweating bullets. While a great deal of martial arts lessons in her childhood had her confident that she could at least defend herself if it came down to that the blonde had never actually been in a fight with anyone before. If anyone had asked Bonnie who she pictured her first fistfight with she probably wouldn't have been able to provide a name, but one thing was certain and it was that the very last person she ever expected it to be was Phoebe. Even if they hadn't had the very tenuous and hardly civil bonds of friendship that they did the blonde would have gone out of her way to avoid a physical confrontation. The truth of the matter was that Phoebe had a temper. Anyone who knew her was aware of that. There were even rumors that one or two people were unfortunate enough to fully awaken her wrath, and as a result received rather vicious beatings. Whether there was any fact to the stories was anyone's guess; really only Phoebe knew, and possibly Finn, though neither of them could seem to confirm or deny the rumors. All that Bonnibel knew in that moment was that she had dropped the GPS device in the chaos before the grenade detonated, when the hall caved in it was crushed under debris as a result, and Phoebe was currently standing in front of her with both hands curled into fists and visibly trembling with rage.

"You IDIOT, how could you go and drop the damn GPS!? It was our only hope of getting out of here now that we're cut off from our little terrorist guide dog! What in the fuck are we supposed to do now, Bonnibel!?" Phoebe screeched, her emerald eyes flashing violently. Only, it wasn't just violence that Bonnie saw. In an instant the redhead's own fists and forearms were completely engulfed in flames that danced up her arms and burned her sleeves away to ashes.

Everyone drew back, gaping at Phoebe in varying levels of shock. Jake's jaw had literally hit the floor, giving Bonnibel yet another unpleasant surprise in such a short span of time. It took a second for everything to sink in for the rest of the group. Once they did, Jake and Lorraine were busy sputtering about Phoebe's fire manifestation while the redhead went on about the man's ability to stretch, Leslie screeching in the background and Finn repeating things like 'whoa' and 'dude' the entire time. Bonnibel tried to think, the one thing she could do in that moment to maintain some grasp on her self-control, but the more she thought about everything that had happened since the explosion the less sense everything made. If anyone would have any answers it would be Alexis, who was currently cut off from them and probably heading towards whatever safe space she said she'd be taking them to. After all, the plan was that even if they got cut off they would still proceed according to plan. Unfortunately they hadn't planned on the GPS device being knocked from Bonnibel's hands because Phoebe had jumped and saved her just as the hallway collapsed thanks to a soldier's grenade, crushing the device beneath a mountain of debris that also separated two members of their group. It seemed their only choice was to try and find Alexis before she and Marceline were able to make their escape.

"We try and find Alexis before she manages to get out." Bonnibel said flatly.

"Yeah, because any of us has an idea of where we're going in this place. In case you haven't noticed, it's pretty much like a maze. We'd probably have better luck literally trying to find a needle in a haystack." Phoebe spat with a shake of her head. "Thanks to you having butter fingers I _guess_ our only _real_ choice is to just stick together, find our way out, and then I don't know about you guys but I'm finding somewhere to lay low for a while until whatever the fuck is happening either comes to a conclusion or blows over."

"Fine. So it's agreed that we push on and do our best to try and find a way out, then." Bonnibel huffed as she rolled her eyes and shook her head, storming past her friends and starting down the only path open to them. After a few grumbled remarks from Phoebe she followed, along with the rest of the group as they attempted to give the bristling women a fairly wide berth.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're squeezing our way through a sardine can?" Marceline grumbled. She was doing her best to keep up with the pace that Alexis was setting as they moved through the ventilation ducts, sweat dripping down her skin as the temperature skyrocketed in the confined space. The constant deep boom of the metal warping beneath their weight was beginning to give her a splitting headache as well. Needless to say she was regretting agreeing to that route.

"Because this is the only way back to your friends and out of the facility." Alexis responded promptly, apparently not picking up on the question being rhetorical. Either that or the woman was being difficult intentionally, in which case that would probably push Marceline from angry to outright enraged. Just the thought of it had her blood starting to simmer.

"Thanks for that, I really had no idea." Marcy snapped, her tone dripping with venom and sarcasm.

"I apologize, I was under the impression that you were attempting to start a conversation." Alexis quickly replied. Marceline was shocked. The woman's tone actually carried some bite to it for a change. "Perhaps next time you should think to inform me that your desire is to ask questions that you already know the answers to so I can be sure not to make the mistake of interrupting."

Marceline found herself at a loss for anything to say. She was taking her feelings toward the situation out on Alexis even though they were in the same boat, and neither of them had asked for it. Even in her anger she had to acknowledge what she was doing and stop herself. It turned out to be fortuitous, as with neither of them speaking she could hear what sounded like scrapes and thuds coming from behind them in the air duct. Marcy froze, pulse skyrocketing as her fear peaked once more.

"Can y-"

"Yes. Climb over and past me. Now." Alexis ordered, cutting Marceline off. She didn't even care and began to follow her instructions immediately.

It was a tighter squeeze that Marcy had anticipated. She did the best she could as far as fitting herself into the minuscule amount of space there was to work with, gripping the brunette's belt and hoisting herself over the woman's legs. Her next handhold was the Kevlar vest that Alexis wore, her fingers hooking into the arm hole and giving her the leverage she needed to pull herself further up. For a split second as Marceline lay there with her chest pressed uncomfortably tight against the other woman's back she worried that she'd managed to get them both stuck. Panic threatened to overtake her. The only thing that stopped her cold was the paralyzing sensation of the sheet of metal behind her closing in and crushing down on her back. That was until she heard the steady rush of someone breathing out and felt herself sinking. Alexis had taken a breath, probably a bit deeper than she had needed to, and had pressed herself as flat as she could against the floor of the compact space before she exhaled enough that Marceline had the room to wriggle herself over the woman's shoulders and in front of her in the duct.

Just as she began to crawl forward along their path sweat dripped into Marceline's eyes, stinging them and effectively obscuring her vision behind a wall of tears. She paused to wipe the sweat from her face but instead froze. The same harsh smacking and grinding could be heard behind them, only now it was much closer. Even though the world was still a collection of blurs Marceline tried to position herself to look behind her and Alexis. All she could see was a chaotically shifting blob that was quickly moving towards them. Marcy already knew what it was before her vision cleared, and it terrified her.

"GO!" Alexis roared, panic in her voice. Marceline tried, scurrying forward on her elbows as fast as she could. Based on the frenetic slamming against the sides of the air duct it wasn't fast enough. The woman behind her was audibly struggling, groaning and panting as the creature that had caught up to her wrestled to end her life. It seemed like they were trapped, doomed to be shredded by the claws and fangs of the snarling monster that pursued them. That was, until Marcy tried to turn over and felt the metal beneath her shift slightly. It gave her an idea.

* * *

"It looks we've reached some sort of administrative area." Bonnibel announced as she glanced down at the shattered device in her hands with longing before looking up and around at the series of desks inside glass cubicles that spanned the floor. If she were being honest with herself then she had to admit that it was in part to see in perhaps Marceline and Alexis had managed to beat them there. Unfortunately the entire floor was eerily empty with the exception of the blonde and her friends.

"Whenever you're ready to, like, tell us where to go next...This place is _so_ uncool. I can't get any signal whatsoever and I will actually DIE if I can't update my social media accounts." Leslie grumbled, holding up what Bonnibel could only conclude was a cellphone in a garish fuzzy purple case and waving it around as if somehow she could will herself into a service area.

"The problem is we still haven't found Marceline and Alexis." Lorraine stated, beating Bonnibel to the punch.

"Again, is it really worth it to risk all of our asses for them? If you guys are so set on believing this Alexis chick, and if you insist on arguing that we should trust her because she hasn't steered anyone wrong yet, then why not follow the original plan as best we can-" the redhead cut herself off to shoot a glare at Bonnie before she went back to trying to sway the group. "-and try to find a way out of here. We can go to the cops, go to the military, whoever the hell we need to and this whole thing would be like a bad dream after a while."

"We're getting out of here, but we're not leaving Marcy." Bonnibel stated firmly. She had her eyes narrowed in a hard scowl directed at Phoebe. The other woman was returning the expression in kind, as was the way it usually went between the two of them.

"That would be kinda messed up, Phoebe..." Finn commented, shuffling his feet in obvious discomfort at the fact that he was outright disagreeing with the redhead. The internal war he was waging between wanting to stay in his ex's good graces and wanting to do what he felt was the right thing could practically be seen playing out in his eyes.

Predictably, Phoebe was angry, but she also knew that they were right. It was natural for self-preservation to take precedence when someone's life was possibly at stake. To some people the idea of sacrifice didn't come easy, and Phoebe was one of those people. But when confronted by her closest friends who were willing to risk their own safety and possibly lives, it seemed she was willing to put her neck on the line. Before they could proceed to discussing any kind of plan as far as trying to reunite with their friend and her companion with absolutely no means of navigating their way through wherever they were, the sound of a resounding, metallic boom from over their heads drew their attention. They'd frozen, glancing between themselves and the tiles above, waiting for whatever was coming. After a few moments of deafening silence there was yet another massive impact, though this one was much louder and much more insistent than the last, if a sound could be. The group cleared the space, moving a fair distance away to assure that whatever the hell it was didn't injure anyone. The third slam brought with it a shower of broken tiles, sparks, dust, and the silhouettes of three individuals, two of whom apparently grappling with one another during and after their fall.

Before the haze cleared Jake took a sudden step towards Lorraine, pulled her in for a quick kiss, and then charged into the chaos of two women and what could only be some kind of feral beast struggling for dear life. As he disappeared into the unknown his own cries of exertion joined the mix and added to the overall feeling of tension and dread felt by those in the group that were left watching. That turned to worry and surprise as Jake and Alexis shouted a unison cry of "Marceline, wait!"

Bonnibel and the others were barely able to make it out of the way in time to avoid not only Jake, but also Alexis and some kind of eerily human monstrosity with fangs and distorted limbs that was dressed in a badly soiled and torn suit as they all tumbled to the floor in a pile. Alexis was the first of them to recover. She successfully wriggled out from where she had been wedged between the thrashing creature and Jake. Once she had rolled to her feet the woman leaped into action. One hand shot out and gripped the snarling monster's bottom jaw while the other curled into a fist that hammered into its skull with a disgusting squelch. The blow gave Jake a chance to liberate himself as well. It seemed to happen at the perfect moment, seeing how the creature Alexis was now grappling with had managed to gain the upper hand, its jaws snapping dangerously close to the exposed, vulnerable flesh of the woman's throat.

With a roar and a rough twist of her hips Alexis managed to roll the monster from on top of her, switching their positions and providing her the bit of extra room she needed to properly lay into the monster. Straddling the creature's chest to keep its arms pinned at its sides, the brunette began to savagely swing her fists, hitting the beast over and over square in the center of its face. During a break in the assault the woman's eyes landed on a particularly nasty looking piece of shorn metal from the ventilation ducts above. She quickly grabbed it up, gripping it with suck force that cuts opened on her hands while she held her new weapon high above her head. Growling as she struck, Alexis plunged the shard of metal into the monster's head with a crunching squelch. Green fluid oozed from the now dead monster as its body relaxed, one last sigh creeping up from the beast's chest as it gave a few weak twitches before it finally went still.

After taking a few moments to gather themselves Jake extended a hand to Alexis. She accepted it and he helped her up by shrinking his arm back down to its normal length, puling her up in the process. The brunette clapped a hand on his shoulder as a smile danced across her lips.

"You realize that was outright insane, yes?" Alexis laughed, an almost musical sound that caught everyone's attention for just a moment. The man in question chuckled with a nod. Marceline joined them, emerging from the still settling cloud of dust and smoke, rubbing at her eyes as they watered.

"Is it over?" she asked with a groan, finally blinking away the rest of whatever debris she'd gotten into her eyes.

"Hopefully. Can you see yet?" Alexis asked in response.

"Yeah. Sorry about whatever the hell I did, by the way." Marcy huffed, joining Alexis and Jake as they approached the group. She took note of the creature laying in a green pool of its own vital fluids as they went. "Doesn't seem like it caused too much of a problem, though."

The sound of the doors on the far side of the floor being kicked open brought any reunions to a drastic halt.

"Um...You guys, we've got, like, company." Leslie announced, pointing towards the group of guards that was currently filing into the area with their weapons trained on the group. Without warning a new of them began to open fire, once more scattering the friends as they all sought cover. Bonnibel threw herself to the floor, scrambling to hide behind one of the nearby desks. On either side of her, behind desks of their own, were Marceline and Alexis.

"Please tell me you planned for this!" Bonnibel half-begged the brunette, shouting to be heard over the gunfire. A section of the desk that was dangerously close to her head splintered as a bullet came dangerously close to hitting the blonde, causing her to flinch. She watched as Alexis pulled her weapon from her waistband before flashing a smirk.

"Not exactly. We will have to fight our way through."

Alexis stood, spinning around the corner of the desk. She fried a single shot at one of the men across the room, dropping him before she whirled to block a punch from a guard that thought he was taking advantage of an opportunity to take her by surprise. Instead he wound up with a few of his teeth being knocked loose as the brunette slammed her handgun into his face, disorienting him before she grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. As he hit the ground Bonnibel heard the air being forced from his lungs, robbing him of any hope of recovery. Without hesitation Alexis aimed her weapon and fired twice into the man's chest and once into his head before she continued to fire on the other guards.

"Holy shit! That's gotta be the most bad-ass thing I have ever seen!" Marceline exclaimed, probably far more impressed at witnessing a man's death than anyone ever should be. The sounds of the firefight around them continued as the woman began to scurry on all fours toward the dead man, hands quickly working to liberate him of his sidearm. Marcy then scrambled over to where Bonnibel was taking cover and checked to make sure the gun's safety was off. "Now maybe we can help or something?"

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" the blonde asked, not sure whether to be horrified or hopeful.

"How hard can it be? You just point it and pull the trigger, right? Can't be too different from a video game." Marceline nervously chuckled. Bonnie rolled her eyes in response and took the gun from her friend before she wound up hurting herself or one of their friends.

"It's absolutely nothing like a video game, and you don't _pull_ the trigger, you _squeeze_ it." she grumbled.

"I forgot that you're the resident expert on guns." Marceline scoffed.

"My dad used to take me hunting before they closed of the Wilderness Preserves, so out of all of us except Alexis I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert." Bonnibel explained in an effort to focus on something, anything to help her keep calm in the face of what she was about to do. Hunting animals was one thing. Shooting at people was an entirely different situation. She let out a shaky breath and shot a glance at Alexis, who had taken cover again and was in the process of reloading her weapon. The brunette happened to look up and lock eyes with her for a moment before popping over the desk and continuing her counter-assault. Attention back on Marceline, Bonnibel swallowed hard. "Just get down and stay behind cover."

Without giving the ebony-haired woman a chance to respond Bonnibel stood, taking great care to assure that she kept as much of herself as she could behind the desk that was serving as her cover. She brought her gun up, the weight of it like a hammer in her hands, and took aim at one of the men that had his rifle trained towards one of her companions. Time slowed to a crawl for the blonde as adrenaline gained a foothold in her system. She'd only ever fired a weapon at animals, and even though her father always taught her to limit waste when hunting game there was always a great amount of guilt that she experienced at taking a life. Now was the real moment of truth; was Bonnibel willing to take a human life to protect herself and her friends?

In through her nose and out through her mouth. A steady breath was all Bonnie needed to make the choice. She had already subconsciously calculated the proper angle at which the shot needed to fired at to properly stop her target. It was as simple as elementary arithmetic for her. Once she was sure of her decision the blonde squeezed the trigger. As the gun jumped in her hands and the muzzle flashed, the bullet left the chamber and took any doubt Bonnibel had with it. The man she'd aimed at jerked as the projectile hit him just under his arm, no doubt shredding his lungs to ribbons as it traveled. He his the ground, and satisfied that he no longer posed a threat, the woman dropped back behind her cover. Marceline was waiting for her with a wide-eyed expression of wary awe.

"Um...Nice shot. Yeah, so you go ahead and hold on to that." the woman chuckled, her nervousness more evident in her tone than on her face. It was understandable. It wasn't often that violent crime occurred anymore, let alone full on firefights, so it wasn't as though any of them was accustomed to seeing death.

The chaos was sustained for a mere four minutes, but eventually it ceased altogether. Bonnibel, curious to see which side had really come out victorious, peeked over the edge of the desk she was huddled behind. It looked like between Finn, Jake, Phoebe, Alexis, and herself, that their antagonists had been handled with reasonable haste.

"Anybody hit?" Alexis called out, stepping from behind her own 'hiding spot' clear on the other side of the floor, having apparently managed to loop her way behind their attackers to flank them. One by one the rest of the group revealed themselves, verified that they were all uninjured, and then made their way towards where Alexis had joined Bonnibel and Marceline. All eyes were on the brunette as the friends waited for whatever her next recommendation was. "We are running out of time, we must reach the parking garage. It is only a short distance away, but chances are that we will encounter further...resistance...and every second we linger those chances increase." Her eyes went to Bonnie. "You still have the GPS in case we get separated?"

"About that..." the blonde began, her face burning red hot from her failure to protect the device being brought to light so soon.

"She destroyed it." Phoebe interjected with a slick grin in Bonnibel's direction. The young scientist produced the ruined device and held it before her with shame weighting her eyes down to the floor. Alexis looked between the device and two women for a tense moment. Nobody was sure what to expect, for all they knew and had seen from the woman up to that point her reaction could very well be one of psychotic rage, and as the realization of that set in for everyone the tension they all felt became palpable. It wasn't until the brunette let out a slight sigh and shrugged her shoulders that they seemed to breath a collective breath of relief.

"No matter. We are nearing the exit. Follow me." Alexis instructed in her direct and prompt manner, breaking into a brisk walk towards the same doors the armed men had entered through.

The group fell in behind the brunette, those with weapons taking position behind their guide. After peeking around corners and sprinting down a series of door and window-lined halls they eventually arrived at the parking garage. Alexis was the first one through the door, abruptly kicking it open before raising her handgun. After scanning the immediate area she nodded to the others, ushering them into the structure as their footsteps echoed back to them, a series of percussive rhythms that served as a sort of soundtrack for the current leg of their exodus.

Alexis led them past a few rows of vehicles until stopping in front of a black SUV, the paint glimmering with a mirror finish in the harsh fluorescent lights of the garage. The woman rounded the vehicle, pausing near the driver's side door. She was mostly out of sight, arms moving as she did something with the door's lock mechanism before the rest of the locks opened with a resounding _CLICK!_ After giving the group a quick grin she opened the door and hopped into their newly acquired transport, the others exchanging hesitant glances before filing suit. Bonnibel took the passenger side, Phoebe, Leslie, and Marceline sat in the row of rear seats, and Lorraine, Finn, and Jake climbed into the very back of the expansive vehicle.

Just as the doors closed a series of gunshots rang out, the projectiles singing against the exterior of the SUV as they ricocheted off. All eyes went to the rear window. Standing behind their vehicle were not one, not two, but three of the monsters in suits, each of them armed with their weapons trained on the group. Alexis' hands darted beneath the dashboard under the steering wheel, the engine growling to life shortly after. Tires squealed as the woman slammed the vehicle into reverse and punched the accelerator to the floor, cutting the wheel hard to place them on a direct path towards a large panel door, sunlight slipping through the gap at the bottom. As it turned out, this also put them on a course to run down the creatures that continued to pursue them. With a grin Alexis put the SUV in drive and punched the gas. As the car jumped forward the suited monsters leaped from its path before scrambling to their feet. Whatever they were doing became a mystery to the group as their transport punched through the barrier that kept them from what was hopefully the freedom that all of them so desperately craved.

The bright glare of the late evening sun greeted them as the SUV emerged from the parking garage and erupted onto the street. Bonnibel grabbed onto the door handle with a white-knuckle grip as the vehicle rocked and groaned against the harsh impact of landing after temporarily going airborne while making their escape from whatever experimental facility they had been held at. Rubber screamed against asphalt as Alexis cut the wheel hard, sending their transport into a sliding turn before she recovered and launched the car down the street at breakneck speeds.

"Oh my GLOB! Who taught you how to drive!?" Leslie shouted as she did her best to peer between the driver and passenger seats to glare at the brunette while also attempting to not be thrown from her own seat.

The woman in question let her eyes slide to the rear-view mirror for a moment. Instead of answering Leslie's irrelevant question, the woman shot her arm out and firmly gripped the seat next to her, her arm barring the space between them. It was something that made a little more sense as the SUV bucked forward to a chorus of keening metal being twisted and ground. Bonnibel glanced behind them as well and found that there was a sleek, black sedan, front bumper mangled and hanging loose, hot on their pursuit. In the driver's seat was another one of the suit-clad beings. He was accompanied by yet another located in the driver's seat and a third creature in the process of standing up through the sunroof with a rifle in his arms.

"Get down!" Phoebe yelled, grabbing Leslie and rather forcefully shoving her into the floorboard. Everyone else managed to duck just as a flurry of bullets began to pepper the rear of the vehicle, one hitting the back windshield and causing it to burst into a glistening shower of glass that rained down on the vehicle's occupants. Even Alexis flinched as more shots pocked their transport, the pursuit car veering dangerously to the side so the shooter could spray projectiles along the driver's side.

"Hold on." Alexis ordered, tone stern. The car approached an intersection and once more she cut the steering wheel to launch the SUV into a second sliding turn, somehow maintain control of the vehicle with the kind of almost supernatural precision that even put lifetime professional stunt drivers to shame at that juncture.

The engine roared, pistons thundering under the hood as Alexis slammed down on the accelerator. The SUV skirted along and grazed another vehicle, causing the driver to lay into their horn before the much larger vehicle's tires caught traction and sent the group rocketing away from the sedan that was giving chase. Alexis straightened the wheel, sapphire blue eyes locked on the road in absolute concentration. The blonde next to her chanced another look behind them and caught sight of the black sedan crashing into the back corner of the same car that they themselves had just grazed, shredding the entire rear of the bystander's vehicle. All she could do was hope that any passengers they were carrying were alright and that hopefully she and her friends would be too. The creatures in the suits were much less concerned with collateral damage and more concerned with trying to put a wrench in their ex-captives' escape attempt. The one from the sunroof wore a sinister sneer that stretched abnormally across its face as it looked from the totaled car to the SUV.

Sirens began to approach, no doubt hailing the arrival of a number of police cars intent on stopping the chase before it got out of hands and too much more collateral damage was caused. The SUV started to weave in and out of traffic as the continued to flee. Alexis glanced over at Bonnibel just in time for the blonde to meet the young woman's gaze, and from what the blonde could tell she swore she saw a gleam of excitement in the brunette's eyes. Or...had that been a literal _gleam_? From the right angle it almost appeared as though Alexis' left eye had a dim glow that was quite similar to the phosphorescent orange of the GPS device she'd given then.

"You still have your weapon, yes?" Alexis asked flatly. Bonnibel nodded. "Good. Anyone with a weapon and ammunition should be prepared to use them at this point. The situation will get worse before it gets better."

Yet again Bonnibel nodded, ejecting the clip from her handgun. She had five rounds left. The sound of weapons clinking as the others who knew how to did the same, though it was barely audible over the whipping of the wind rushing through the SUV and the steady growl of the engine. Tires squealed as Alexis took another hard turn that sent the vehicle off-road. Dust kicked up behind them as they barreled down an unpaved service road before slamming through a chain link fence, bullets still pinging against the exterior of the car as the sedan started to catch up to them. The route they were taking led under a section of freeway over-ramps, and Alexis was cutting through the area, veering between support pillars and straight towards a tunnel entrance. With a scream the brakes engaged and the SUV sliding once more. Bonnibel somehow managed to put aside what should have been outright terror and found herself trusting Alexis far more than she probably should have. But given her obvious skill behind the wheel and her efforts to keep them all out of harm's way up to that point maybe her faith wasn't misplaced. None of that altered the fact that even one miscalculation, one slip of the wheel, and there was absolutely no doubt that the vehicle would tip over and into a roll, and at that speeds the probability of survivors was abysmally low.

Upon entering the tunnel Bonnibel noticed that the sirens seemed rather close behind, and a look in the rear view mirror confirmed that. There were three squad cars pursuing them, lights flashing as they crept closer and closer to the black sedan that was still hot on their trail. Somehow none of the officers seemed very interested in the "man" that was hanging out of the sedan's window while shooting at another car. Jake let out a growl, apparently growing tired of the hail of bullets they were having to endure, and ducked behind the SUV's back hatch. He peeked up with his own rifle in his hands and fired a few shots that ricocheted off the car with zero effect.

"You mind keeping this thing steady!?" Jake shouted over the rush of wind and the sounds of the speeding vehicle, bullets still ringing out as they hit. His annoyance was apparent in his tone, and it told Bonnibel that he'd been aiming for the creature and not his transport. "It's hard enough trying to shoot from a moving vehicle, but you've got this thing jerking back and forth like crazy!"

"If you would prefer they shoot the tires out, resulting in a crash that would undoubtedly kill us all, then by all means I can 'keep this thing steady'." Alexis snapped as she shot the man a glare through the mirror. Instead of arguing Jake instead let out a scoff before he continued attempting to lay down suppressing fire.

A sudden burst of light overtook the SUV as it emerged from the tunnel and onto the freeway. The black sedan was gaining on them, their closer proximity giving their weapons enough kick to start punching through the metal body of the vehicle. Bonnibel heard Alexis let out a pained cry, jerking her head around to see that one of the rounds had narrowly avoided Phoebe's face and penetrated the driver's seat, embedding itself in the brunette's shoulder. The woman, while in a great deal of pain, seemed to be somehow disregarding her injury for the most part aside from gritting her teeth. She continued to drive, guiding the SUV in front of a large panel van with some sort of branding information printed on the side. Alexis sped up, overtaking the van and managing to slip behind the trailer of the large eighteen wheeler in front of it just as gunfire from the sedan began to pepper the passenger side.

They continued to weave in and out of traffic as Finn, Jake, and Lorraine (deciding it would be smarter Phoebe had handed over her rifle to the woman) did their best to try and distract and fire back at their pursuers. Alexis pulled the SUV alongside another vehicle and matched their speed, temporarily shielding them from the creatures' line of sight. It didn't last for very long. The car swung into view behind them before switching lanes again. Muzzle flashes with no sounds of impact left Bonnibel a little confused. The creature was firing at something other than them, but what?

The tires of the car in front of them burst and sent strips of rubber flying through the air, signaling the answer to Bonnibel's silent question in a spray of sparks as the wheel wells ground against the asphalt. The car began to slide and fishtail dangerously before momentum caught it and sent it hurtling through the air towards the group as they sped forward with no sign of slowing. As she raised her arms and did what little she could to take cover behind the dashboard Bonnibel heard Marceline swear from her position in the back seat. To her pleasant surprise the sound of shearing metal screeching and twisting against the pavement wasn't met with any disruption to their own vehicle. The SUV thundered past the gnarled, flaming hunk of wreckage after just barely avoiding it. The scene had caused just the distraction that the creatures needed. Not only were the police thoroughly distracted by probable civilian casualties but the group had been distracted and it had allowed the black sedan the opportunity to overtake them. The individual with the rifle once more began to fire on them, showering the windshield and hood with bullets.

"I've had it with this shit." Alexis growled, punching her foot down on the accelerator and launching their vehicle forward. She rammed the sedan hard enough to jostle the creature hanging out of the top, causing him to lose his grip on his weapon. The woman then fished her handgun from her waistband and proceeded to fire three precision shots that all connected with her target's head, blowing it away piece by green, gory piece. The brunette then sped up once again and switched lanes, pulling up aside the black sedan and firing yet again. It turned out that Alexis was taking a page from their book, providing her own distraction that would give them the upper hand. The creature driving the sedan had been so concerned with trying to pay attention to the woman shooting at him that he didn't notice the approaching off-ramp, nor did he realize that his car was on a track to slam directly into the massive concrete partition. Though the heard the impact and smelled the first of the smoke they left the wreckage far behind as they took the ramp and left their pursuers far behind them.

After a few minutes of dazed silence Marceline was the one to speak up.

"So...is it safe to assume we lost 'em?"

"I believe so, yes." Alexis responded in a rigid tone.

"What now?" Lorraine asked loud enough to be heard from the far back.

"Now we go to the safe house. It's a couple of hours from here. I suggest trying to relax while you can." their driver said. She looked up into the rear-view at Lorraine, her gaze softer than any of them thought possible up to that point. "I don't know how many more opportunities you'll have."

With that the SUV fell silent. Bonnibel felt Marceline's hand wriggle around her seat and reach for her own. She grabbed it and held on, their fingers entwining. They sat like that until finally the darker woman's grip went slack. Bonnibel looked behind her to see her friends all dozing, her eyes landing on Marceline who was also fast asleep. She let out a low sigh before turning back to the road, her eyes spanning the path ahead.

Bonnibel turned the useless hunk of metal and plastic that had been the GPS device over in her hands a few times before she looked over at Alexis. Despite her injury she seemed as lucid as ever, which the blonde interpreted as a good sign. She wanted to start up a conversation and get some of the answers she so desperately needed, but for everything in her she couldn't even think of how or where to start. With everything that had already happened to herself and her friends there were just too many mysteries that needed solving. And this day had been the most harrowing of her life. She was exhausted, physically and mentally, and before she realized it the sun was slipping below the horizon and the dim headlights of their vehicle were casting a dull glow on the roadway. It wasn't long until Bonnibel's eyes grew so heavy that she was drifting off into much needed sleep without even realizing it.


	6. Breaking News

**Double update? Don't mind if I do. ^^ Seems as though my weekend has been a productive one. But it's back to work tomorrow, so we'll see if I have anything ready next Monday or not.**

 **-MarCor3: The reason I took it down is because I wasn't happy with where some of the sub-plots were going and there were other things that I wanted to rework completely. In other words, I saw how I could do things better, and wanted to see how that went. Don't worry, I won't be doing anything like that again. I'm seeing it through this time one way or the other.**

 **Content Warning: Blood, surgery grossness, language, familial drama, things like that. Have fun! As always, feel free to review or PM.**

* * *

 **Breaking News**

The SUV jerked and rumbled in near-pitch darkness, causing Bonnibel to smack her head against the window and wake up more disoriented than she already would have been. She managed to gain her bearings quick enough, though her mild irritation at the incredibly unexpected and rude awakening would probably take a while to fade. It was still dark, which made sense. Alexis had told them it would be a couple of hours before they reached her destination. The blonde reasoned that they were likely getting close. She looked over at Alexis in the slight glow of the dashboard console. Her face was set in a focused mask as she directed the SUV down the rough road.

They were traveling along a forested path, which explained why things had gotten a bit rocky. Periodically Bonnibel would catch sight of some kind of animal scurrying away from the road, obviously unaccustomed to the presence of something as cacophonous to such a serene environment as the SUV. The vehicle passed an old, rusted sign that Bonnibel was just able to read. It indicated that they were somewhere in the Humboldt-Yoiyabe Wilderness Preserve...The very same wilderness preserve where her father used to take her hunting in her youth.

It had been nearly a decade since the wilderness preserves had been closed off to the general public in an effort to help protect and restore some of the planet's natural beauty. During what had become known as the Second Digital Revolution humanity expanded at an even faster rate, predictably devastating the planetary ecosystems. The forests and oceans had been hit the hardest. After the Unified Global Government was conceived one of the first issues they hammered down on was the havoc that had been wrought by the overwhelming expansion of major cities and the resulting environmental pollution. One of their biggest projects was oceanic clean-up and forest restoration.

This resulted in the institution of Wilderness Preserves, areas of protected land that were fenced and sealed off from the cities. Using advanced horticultural technologies the UGG was able to breathe life into the dying forests and plains that existed outside of the bustling concrete and steel metropolitan jungles. It had been a day of worldwide celebration when the announcement was made to the public that the preserves had finally been opened up to the public for the first time since the fences had been built. At that time most people had only seen trees in old photographs in books or on television. The few people who were affluent enough to have trees on their properties were some of the lucky few who had the experience of seeing them before then.

The Wilderness Preserves had been an instant hit with the public, generating so much revenue within the first few days that it had more than covered the costs of the project. Unfortunately the sustained influx of pedestrian traffic once more began to affect the areas. As the scientists and government officials in charge of monitoring and keeping up the health of the fragile preserves noticed the decline in the condition of the zones they were closed off again, a mere fifty years after they had been opened.

Bonnibel was one of the luckier people in her generation. She had taken many trips to the Wilderness Preserve in her childhood. Her mother and father would frequently pack up for a weekend trip, sometimes a week or two, and they'd head out and stay at the cabin that had been left to them by Bonnibel's great uncle on her mother's side.

Great Uncle Gumball, she had called him. It was a nickname he'd earned from Bonnibel when she was just a small child and still had difficulties pronouncing various things. The man's real name was Arthur Gumbaldt, and he had been a pioneer in the world of genetics in his heyday. There were more than a few laboratories that had the honor of bearing his name, some being founded while he was alive but most of them coming after his death. He had been one of the biggest influences in Bonnibel's decision to pursue a career in the realm of science. Granted, physics and genetics were two vastly different fields of study, but Bonnibel's parents had frequently assured her that he would have been proud of his little Bubblegum.

The farther along the forested path they traveled the more Bonnibel realized that, not only were they in an area of the Wilderness Preserve that was vaguely familiar to her, they were also on the _very same_ dirt road that would take them right to her great uncle's cabin. It began to raise new questions about who Alexis was, where she had come from, and if she was possibly in someone's employ. The cabin itself was tucked deep into the preserve, far away from where any of the well-known paths. The only way someone would find it unless happening upon it by accident was if they knew where it was, and there were plenty of times when Bonnibel's father, who had been going to that cabin since just before he'd married his wife, ended up lost if he didn't come prepared with directions or GPS coordinates. Yet somehow Alexis was taking them to a location that she had a close personal tie to.

The SUV came to a stop next to a familiar wooden fence. Just on the other side of it was the same tree stump that Bonnibel's father had spent many a morning chopping wood at. Through the low branches of the overgrown trees the blonde could just make out the brick chimney jutting from the roof of the structure. As much as she wanted to think that this was some sort of coincidence she couldn't. There was no way they'd been brought here by accident, there was no chance in hell. Coincidences didn't happen at the frequency they apparently had been lately. The explosion, her friends being kidnapped alongside her, and now the cabin...So far there seemed to be one uniting factor, and that was Alexis.

The brunette laid into the horn, waking the vehicle's occupants. After some groaning and a few muttered exchanges they began to file out, taking care to avoid the chunks of shattered back windshield that littered the SUV. Jake, being the gentleman he was, insisted that he and Finn climb out of the back hatch first so they could help the ladies out. The man lifted Lorraine out to assure she didn't help cutting herself. It was a sickly sweet gesture that had Bonnibel covertly rolling her eyes at the couple. She climbed out and closed the door to see Marceline opening her own door and stumbling from the back seat. The taller woman leaned against the vehicle and rubbed at her eyes, the disorienting haze of sleep still holding her hostage. Bonnibel opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the abrasively nasal voice of the other blonde with them.

"Oh...my...glob..." Leslie gasped in utter horror. She gaped around at their surroundings. "You can't expect me to stay here...This place is all gross and dirty and brown and green! NO! LUMPIN'! WAY!"

"Christ, can't you swear like a normal human being?" Phoebe growled as she knuckled the sleep from her eyes and climbed out of the SUV next.

"Um, no! Swearing isn't ladylike. Not that you'd know what that's about. I guess it explains why things didn't work out between you and Finn though, hm?" the pudgy blonde remarked with a sneer. Before Phoebe could reply or worse, Marceline hurriedly grabbed onto Leslie and dragged her to the other end of the vehicle.

"Just shut up, Leslie, you're playing with fire and you know it!" Marceline spat, pausing and shooting the woman a threatening glare. "And show a little appreciation, it's a roof over your head! Or did you forget about the fact that we've got some psycho monsters chasing after us and Alexis has saved our asses over and over and managed to find somewhere we can lay low?" Leslie simply stared at her, wide-eyed. "Beggars can't be choosers, and you'd better get used to it."

After a few moments Leslie let out a huff and crossed her arms.

"I just wish I had my phone. Melissa's gonna _flip_ when she hears about all of this."

"Yeah, you can't tell anyone about this, Leslie. The whole point of coming out here was to hide. And I'm guessing the only way we'd end up with our position compromised is if one of us did something to make it happen." Bonnibel stated with a frustrated sigh, brow furrowed. She shot a suspicious glance at Alexis, who was now the only one left in the beat up SUV. "Is that right?"

Alexis nodded in response before finally sliding out of her seat. She trudged towards the group, then past them. They followed. She approached the cabin door and opened it, stumbling as she passed the threshold. It didn't go unnoticed. Bonnibel and Marceline exchanged concerned glances before they both focused their attention on the brunette. After a triumphant chuckle from Jake the cabin was illuminated, the overhead lights flickering to life and exposing the source of Alexis' sudden ungraceful gait. Even against the black of her clothing and body armor there was obvious staining, and the source was clear. Blood had been leaking from the gunshot wound she had sustained during the car chase. The fabric of her shirt and the Kevlar vest she wore glistened a bit, the blood from her injury not quite dried. Alexis had also grown pale, a sign that the blood loss was substantial enough that she was suffering as a result.

A sudden wave of searing pain shot through Bonnibel's skull causing her to clamp her hands on her head and squeeze her eyes shut against it. Vivid flashes of one of the books she'd read during her first semester of college ran through her mind, a text she'd long forgotten she'd even spent time on. It was a historical medical book that went into great detail about the injuries suffered during guerrilla warfare, specifically those caused by projectiles, and various field techniques that where used to remove said projectiles and treat the wounds. It was as if the knowledge had been burned into Bonnibel's memory, every word as fresh as if she'd written them herself. Without thinking she began to rummage through the living area of the cabin in search of the emergency medical kit that her father had kept there.

"Bonnie, slow down, what's going on?" Finn asked in obvious concern. She hurried right past him and into the kitchen, not even sparing him a passing glance as she headed straight or the cupboards and began to rifle around in them.

"First aid kit. Alexis was shot and the bullet's still there. She's been bleeding this entire time." Bonnibel explained flatly. She was in a state of hyper-focus that came to her when it was time for business, the same way she got whenever there was some important assignment, project, or experiment that required her full attention and effort.

"Downstairs." Alexis mumbled in a slur. Bonnibel paused and gave her a confused look, one eyebrow raised. As far as she knew, her great uncle's cabin didn't actually have a downstairs...At least not one they'd ever been able to access. After seeing the questions telegraphed across the blonde's face Alexis went to the small closet built underneath the staircase that the Barton family used to store their coats. The brunette opened the door and shoved aside a number of boxes and other random objects that had been placed within for storage. This revealed a simple trap door of sorts, a small ring handle bolted to it.

Bonnibel remembered the door well. Despite the cabin being willed to her father after Great Uncle Gumball passed away, this was the one place that her family had never seen on the property. They were given no information about it, no instructions for how to unlock the door, and no hints as to what could possibly be on the other side. Her father had spent hours with various tools trying all kinds of methods to get the trap door to open, but all of his attempts ended in failure. Unable to hold back her endless questions any longer, Bonnibel finally spoke up.

"Okay, first of all, how in the fuck do you even know about this trap door? And second, what makes you think it opens? Nobody's been able to get down there in twenty years." the blonde paused and looked around at the others. "I'd know, this cabin belongs to my family."

Without a word, Alexis looked her dead in the eyes and pressed down on a section of wooden flooring near the door. It popped out just enough for someone to get a grip on and she pulled it aside to reveal a small keypad that bad been hidden beneath. The brunette typed out a series of numbers that Bonnibel realized was her own birthday, and a low click rang out. With a pained grunt Alexis pulled the hatch open. Below was a short set of steps that led down into a rather large bunker beneath the cabin itself. The large concrete chamber was filled with all manner of computers and various pieces of scientific equipment, leading Bonnibel to believe that it was a secret laboratory of some sort that her uncle had constructed. It made sense that her great uncle had never mentioned it to anyone; people generally didn't build secret bunkers under their cabins when they wanted their families to know about them. The real question was how had Alexis known? How had she figured out the code? In the moment those questions didn't seem nearly as important as the potential for the massive stroke of luck they very well could have been experiencing.

The group descended the steps and entered the bunker. Alexis pointed out a cabinet near the entrance, and upon inspection Bonnibel found the medical kit that she had been searching for. She also grabbed a metal tray from one of the nearby desks, removing the stack of empty petri dishes that were on it before she brought it over to where the group had gathered near the largest section of clear space in the bunker. As Marceline helped Alexis to a nearby stainless steel table Finn managed to locate a television in the corner of the room wedged between one of the many computers and a table. He turned the dial and found a news broadcast that was rehashing the same information about the explosion in the city as well as the rest of the unsubstantial updates they had been feeding the public for the past week. Bonnibel paid it no mind as she helped Marceline get the injured woman onto the table.

Alexis was able to slide the body armor over her head with a little bit of help from Marceline. Bonnibel gestured for her to lie down on her front before she opened the first aid kit and removed a pair of shears. She cut through the thick, long-sleeved shirt the brunette wore, starting at the bottom and moving in a straight line up the woman's back. She pulled the bloodied fabric aside, clearing ample space for her to disinfect the area around the entry wound. The television droned on in the background while Bonnibel pulled a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some gauze out of the kit. Her attention was pulled away as the television began to emit a strange, high-pitched whine. She looked over to see the news broadcast suffering from some kind of interference.

" _It looks like we're ex-fzzzzzzt-ome kind of technical diffic-brrzzzzk!_ " the news anchor tried to say, static cutting in and out as the image on the screen warbled and warped as she spoke.

The picture of the anchor's desk finally disappeared completely, cutting to a well dressed man standing against a neutral beige backdrop. He was an intimidating figure, barrel chest and broad shoulders so large that it seemed the top few buttons of his shirt being undone were more than an aesthetic choice, and even then the fabric still strained against his muscle. He adjusted the black suit jacket he wore, a smirk of superiority playing across his wide mouth. His chin was large and squared, adding to his almost bear-like appearance in addition with the salt and pepper beard he wore trimmed close to his face. Green eyes that almost seemed to emit a glow were veiled by a prominent brow that was creased in the center as the man glared directly at the camera. After running a hand through his short gray hair he let out a gravelly chuckle.

"Hey, isn't that the guy who was running for some government office?" Finn asked as he frowned at the television screen.

"His name's William Lichman." Bonnibel answered, turning her attention back to the injured woman she was attempting to render assistance to. She moved as if she were on auto-pilot, as if she had pursued medicine instead of physics and had spent more than her fair share of time in this kind of environment. There was no hesitation in her movements at all as she cleaned the area around the wound and set the bloodied swatches of gauze she'd used aside. "And he didn't run for just _some_ office, he ran for UGG President."

"I remember that guy. Didn't he have to pull out of the race because he had some kind of mental breakdown or something? Lorraine asked. Marceline let out a wry laugh.

"That's an understatement. The guy went completely bonkers on worldwide television, ranting and raving about the 'scourge of humanity', how he had the solution to all the world's problems, and that if he wasn't elected that everyone would be sorry. He even looked completely psycho." She paused and regarded the refined looking man on the television with a scoff. "Looks like he's at least cleaned himself up a bit."

" _Hello. I'm sure you all remember who I am._ " Lichman said as his lips curled back in a sneer that displayed two rows of pearly white teeth. Bonnibel's eyes flitted to the television screen for a split second as the smooth and almost too-refined baritone voice rang out. It was a voice that _demanded_ to be heard...and it sent a tendril of instinctual fear creeping through the blonde.

Bonnibel took a second to steady herself before she grabbed a pair of sharp ring scissors from the medical kit. She listened to Lichman's broadcast, which was occasionally interrupted by muffled groans of pain from Alexis as the blonde began to cut away some of the more badly damaged tissue around the site of the wound. Given that there was no form of painkiller or anesthetic to be heard of, the woman was taking the pain in stride. Nobody could blame her for the sparse whimpers that escaped her. Even if any of them would have thought to, it seemed that they were all captivated by the imposing figure on the television to pay her any mind.

" _I wanted to extend a proposal to the people of the world. There is a group of individuals that I have some questions for. The only issue is that I can't seem to find them. You see, these people look like any one of you. Working, going to school, living their lives scurrying around like the bunch of insects that you are. To you they are nobody. To me they are very, very important._ " Lichman said, eyes narrowing a bit as his tone grew dark.

Bonnibel looked up as she cut away the last of the badly damaged skin around the bullet wound just in time to see pictures of herself and her friends flash on the screen one after the other, names underneath each picture. The last photograph displayed was a still that looked like it had been taken from the research facility closed circuit security camera system and showed Alexis, though no name was given for her. Whoever she was, it still seemed as though nobody could find any information on her. From what Bonnibel could tell it was almost like she had gone her entire life without ever existing on paper. Yet there she was lying on her stomach having a bullet pulled out of her shoulder in a secret underground bunker that Bonnibel's great uncle had constructed beneath his cabin that happened to be located in the incredibly dense Humboldt-Yoiyabe Wilderness Preserve. Talk about the twists and turns down the road called life. Lichman continued his monologue and Bonnibel grabbed more gauze to wipe away fresh blood that began to leak from the wound.

" _There is a storm coming. Clouds will cover the globe, blocking out the sun and raining down mutagenic horror. None will survive. However..._ " the man paused. Despite the fact that Bonnibel was currently working a crumpled bullet out of Alexis' shoulder with a pair of forceps she knew that Lichman was sneering. She could hear it in his voice, even over the yelp of pain that came from the brunette as the forceps slipped and stabbed into the side of the hole left in the bullet's wake. " _Whoever gives me any information leading to the capture of these people will be spared the horrific death that awaits the rest of the human race._ "

Bonnibel once again grasped the bullet with the forceps, this time getting a much better grip on it.

" _Now, I'm not an unreasonable man...and these people have been rather elusive._ "

The blonde tugged as carefully on the hunk of metal in Alexis' shoulder as she could, feeling it give a little bit. Finally the bullet came out, though it looked more than a little odd. The bullet was completely covered in a thick layer of what looked like scar tissue, almost as if the woman's body had already been hard at work for weeks trying to section it off from the body. Bonnibel knitted her eyebrows as she examined it for a moment. Just like so many other things that had happened recently, this simply wasn't normal.

" _Taking this into consideration, I'm giving anyone who's interested in taking me up on my offer three weeks to find them._ "

The man's broadcast ended as Phoebe turned the television off, punctuated by the clink of the bullet being dropped on the metal tray Bonnibel had been using as a staging area. Everyone but the blonde and Alexis were standing in shocked, silent horror. No doubt they were wondering if what they had just witnessed was some kind of sick prank or if there was any truth behind it. Bonnibel, however, had other concerns at that moment. She grabbed another few squares of gauze and prepared to press it into the wound to help clear out anything that may have been left behind after the bullet was fished out. Before she could, Phoebe turned on Alexis, nothing but rage in her emerald eyes.

"This is on you! This is YOUR fault! You dragged us into this bullshit and now w-"

"Phoebe, I swear to God that if you don't shut the fuck up and let me finish what I'm doing here than some asshole flashing your picture on television is going to be the least of your problems!" Bonnibel shouted, her volume and tone matching the redhead's. It was obvious that Phoebe wanted to argue her point, but thankfully it seemed as though her better judgment kicked in and she refrained. "If you really want to talk to her that bad then you'll probably have to give it a day or two. She just had a bullet pulled out of her shoulder and we've got nothing to numb the pain. After everything she's done for us the least you could do is let her get some rest before you start interrogating her."

She helped Alexis sit, the brunette sickly pale and on the verge of consciousness if her inability to properly hold herself upright was any indication. As carefully as she could, Bonnibel helped the woman stand, the both of them nearly hitting the floor as Alex's legs refused to catch her weight. Thankfully Marceline had jumped forward and grabbed onto the injured woman. With the added help Bonnie found that she had a much easier time of trying to move the brunette. She led the way up the stairs and into the cabin proper before guiding Marceline and Alexis into one of the bedrooms.

"Alright. Well...I'm gonna head back to the others. Shout if you need anything, Bon." Marcy sighed as she finished helping Bonnibel get her patient into the low bed. She cast Alexis a quick glance before leaving, the door clicking behind her. Once Bonnibel finished helping the Alexis into some reasonably clean clothing that had been retrieved from the dresser in the room Bonnibel made her own exit, not wanting to linger as the realization that she had just performed surgery on someone began to hit her. Tears stung her eyes but she pushed them back. There would be time later, she nodded to herself. So after a shake of her head Bonnibel stepped back into the main room of the cabin to find her friends beginning to emerge from the bunker below.

The rest of the night was spent in relative silence. Everyone had taken various positions around the living room and stuck to their thoughts while Jake rummaged for food so they could have something to eat. The cabin was well-stocked with a surplus of survival rations, but outside of that there wasn't anything else. Once everyone had eaten Bonnibel directed Lorraine and Jake to the other bedroom in the cabin after they voiced their need for sleep. They retired and thanked her, leaving the blonde to gather together sleeping bags and blankets from the same closet where the trap door was located. It wasn't the most comfortable of arrangements but it would have to do for now. That first night in the cabin was spent with most of the group sprawled out in various places in the den.

As expected, they awoke the next day sore (with the exception of Jake and Lorraine, who seemed as though they'd experienced a much-needed infusion of vitality). Bonnibel went to check on Alexis, who was still out cold. The group went about the day not doing much of anything. Idle conversations were had here and there. More than once Phoebe made a remark about wanting answers from Alexis that prompted Bonnibel to get up and check on the woman. The brunette remained asleep for all of that and the next day.

That night Bonnibel was finding it impossible to sleep. After grabbing one of the winter coats from the closet and slipping it on she made her way to the cabin's small front porch and sat, simply enjoying the night as she reveled in her memories of the place.

Summers and winters, birthdays and Christmases, so many of them celebrated and spent at this very place. Events long passed involving her mother, father, brother, and great uncle flashed before her eyes in a vivid spectacle. But there had come a time when her great uncle no longer appeared. His presence had always given the forest cabin a special sort of life. While she couldn't explain it, and if ever asked about it would deny it with fervor, Bonnibel swore she could feel the difference as she sat there in the frigid winter air, her coat pulled tight around her as she sighed out a cloud of breath. This place no longer held the warmth of a loving family. It seemed as though that chapter had ended with the last trip the Barton family had taken there before the Wilderness Preserves had been closed. Now the cabin had turned into something entirely different, a cold unwelcoming thing...

Bonnibel was pulled from her thoughts with a start as the door to the cabin opened behind her. She whirled to look over her shoulder, a slim dark figure her eyes focused on and recognized to be Marceline standing in the doorway. As her visitor closed the door the blonde's sight adjusted against the reduced light and spotted a small, nervous smile on the woman's face.

"Hey." Marceline said a little awkwardly, her jaw rigid from the cold.

"Hey."

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" the woman asked as she walked over, waist-length black hair flowing in the slight breeze. Marceline looked positively radiant, even as she rubbed her arms in a vigorous attempt at generating warmth through friction.

"No. I just wanted to get some fresh air and clear my head. The past week's been pretty crazy, I don't want to get overwhelmed." Bonnibel replied, her eyes going back to the darkened treeline before her, snow lazily drifting down around them as she tucked her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, arms wrapped tight around her legs. Marceline sat down next to her.

"Crazy's one way to put it." she scoffed. The onyx-haired woman followed Bonnibel's example, bringing her own knees to her chest and sliding her over-sized winter coat over them to provide an additional layer of warmth. "I can't help but feel like this is some kind of dream. I keep expecting to wake up in my bed completely disoriented and having to remind myself that none of this was real."

Bonnibel was quiet for a moment. When she finally spoke her tone was more bitter than she had intended.

"It's all real, though. None of it makes sense, but all of it's real." She turned to Marceline who looked over and met her gaze. "How the hell did this happen?"

"You're the smart one, remember? You're supposed to be the one answering my questions," Marceline said with a shivering chuckle, obviously trying to brighten the blonde's mood. She leaned over and bumped their shoulders together reassuringly.

"If I'm the smart one then why is it that I can't seem to figure out what's going on? Since the explosion it feels like I've been walking through the dark without a flashlight. Something tells me the answers are right in front of me and that I'm just not looking in the right place. Either that, or I'm just too stupid to figure it out," Bonnibel said, knitting her eyebrows in the same way she did every time she ran into a problem that she had difficulties solving.

It was just so damn frustrating. Bonnibel Barton, proclaimed as a genius by everyone who knew her, felt her life spiraling out of control in the worst ways. What served as an added insult to injury was that she had absolutely no idea how to fix any of it. She had been fighting tears for the past couple of days, keeping her emotional walls up so nothing got in the way of the clarity of logic, and she just couldn't do it anymore. Not being in control was pushing her beyond the breaking point. With a sniffle Bonnibel felt tears begin to run down her cheeks. She shook her head, angry at herself for her emotional outburst, and in front of __Marceline__ no less. Given there history there was a part of the blonde that would have preferred that it had been anyone else in their group.

That was until Bonnibel felt Marceline put an arm around her shoulders. At first she was unsure, hesitant, but after a split-second's debate she allowed herself to be pulled into the other woman's side. Being close to her had always been comforting in ways the blonde couldn't quite explain. For a moment she wondered if her best friend had any idea how much the physical contact had always helped, all the while fighting the furious burn of her cheeks as she no doubt blushed more than the cold was touching her.

"You're not perfect, Bonnie. I mean, you're pretty close to it, but nobody's _actually_ perfect." Marceline said with the slightest sigh. Bonnibel couldn't help but feel another rush of heat in her face. To her that was one of the sweetest compliments in the world, especially given one who it had come from. After a moment Marceline continued speaking, her words soft and measured. "There are times when something comes around that you can't figure out on your own...and that's fine. You've got the rest of us here to help. You've got __me__ here..." She paused to chuckle. "And if it makes you feel any better, I don't think anyone else has the slightest clue as to what's going on either."

"Alexis knows." Bonnibel growled, partly concerned for the woman's well-being and also more than a little ready for answers. Her thoughtful frown turned into an angry glare. "She's got to know something. Why else would she have gone to the lengths she did to help us?" the blonde asked with a shake of her head. She let out a cynical laugh.

"I'm sure she'll tell us when she wakes up. Seeing how she was mauled by, uh...whatever that thing was...and then took a bullet for us...I've got to think that whatever it is has to be pretty damn important," Marceline said frankly, brushing away some snow that had landed on her face.

"It had better be. We're all neck-deep in some fucked up conspiracy involving guys in suits and monsters and terrorists...It's like the plot to some terrible sci-fi action flick." Bonnibel grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"What?" Marceline asked incredulously, drawing out the 'a'. "You always loved my movie nights!"

"No. __You__ loved them. That's the only reason I sat through your rerun marathons." Bonnibel chuckled. Leave it to Marceline to change the subject. Though, this time the blonde decided she wouldn't bring it up. As she rested her head on Marceline's shoulder, which had her signature silky hair draped over it, she could honestly say that she didn't mind. Bonnie took a deep breath and reveled in the woman's comforting scent, letting it remind her of home in more ways than she realized. They sat in silence until the first rays of daylight began to peak through the trees. How long had it been since they'd enjoyed a sunrise like this? Too long. They'd have to do it again sometime.

After sitting outside for a couple of hours Bonnibel and Marceline went back inside to find the rest of the group just waking up. Even Jake and Lorraine had wandered into the lounge area from the second bedroom. They were both currently in the kitchen nook working on preparing some form of breakfast from the stockpile of emergency rations, though Jake was less than pleased about not having actual ingredients to work with and grumbled as his girlfriend relentlessly teased him about being spoiled by city life.

Finn was on the couch with a sour look on his face as Leslie, somehow already wide awake, hung all over his arm and gabbed about anything and everything that came to her mind. In the armchair by the fireplace was Phoebe. She was sitting forward with her elbows on her knees as she stared at the charred wood within the unlit fireplace. Bonnibel figured the redhead was trying to will the wood to light aflame or something along those lines, if only to prove that the pyrokinesis thing she'd mentioned earlier was legitimate.

About the same time Jake turned the stove burners off the door to the main bedroom opened. All eyes went to Alexis as she stepped into the room. Somehow, despite the blood loss and the impromptu bullet removal, she seemed perfectly fine. Her color had returned and any uneasiness on her feet she had previously experienced was gone without a trace. She had even changed clothes, swapping the t-shirt she'd been given by Bonnibel before she'd gone to sleep and tactical pants she'd kept on for a simple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of slightly baggy jeans (though she'd elected to keep the boots).

The brunette took a seat on the couch as Jake and Lorraine began to divvy out the food to everyone. He'd found some powdered eggs and some odd paste that he said was supposed to be meat, but as Bonnibel prodded her own portion with her fork she cringed. Not wanting to risk it she decided to just stick with eating the eggs. The group was piled into the living area, Lorraine, Jake, Bonnibel, and Marceline seated on the floor as everyone ate in silence – a silence that Phoebe predictably broke.

"How about those answers you promised us, huh?"

Alexis froze, her fork in her hand and mouth open to take a bite. The brunette heaved a sigh and set the utensil down on the plate in her lap, eyes rising to meet Phoebe's hard glare.

"Perhaps you should start with the questions and I'll give you the answers I have?" Alexis suggested, one eyebrow quirking up slightly as a small and unpleasant smirk found its way onto her face.

"Fine." Phoebe snapped. She scowled as she continued. "First of all, what in the hell's going on? Do you know why we were all abducted?"

"Yes, and you weren't the only ones. Or did you fail to notice the other people undergoing the same examinations that you all went through?" Alexis asked flatly. "From what I was able to gather during my infiltration of the complex you were liberated from, it seems as though whoever was running the place – William Lichman, I think it's safe to assume – was doing research into altered genes that result in the manifestation of certain...abilities."

"Does that mean that we've all got like...superpowers or something?" Jake asked from his spot on the floor. Lorraine gave him a gentle elbow to the ribs.

"That would be a reasonable conclusion, yes." Alexis paused to take another bite of her food, swallowing before she continued. "Data I found in the complex showed that you were tracked using blood samples taken at the hospital when you were brought in after the explosion."

Once again Phoebe was ready to seize any opportunity to jump on Alexis. "Speaking of the explosion, all of the news reports say that the government's looking for you in connection to it. Were you behind the bomb that went off?" the redhead asked, her tone of voice and stance aggressive.

"I was not. In fact, I've been working on figuring out what could have caused it," the brunette replied casually. Bonnibel knitted her eyebrows, taking note of the woman's shift in demeanor. One moment she was almost mechanical and the next she was acting perfectly normal.

"What have you been able to find out about it?" Marceline inquired after shooting a slight smirk at Bonnibel, no doubt in regards to the conversation they'd had the night before their abduction. Alexis gave a shrug.

"Not a whole lot. I've spent most of the time I've had down in the bunker working on fixing up the equipment so I could find her." the brunette explained, nodding towards Bonnibel. Everyone turned to look at the blonde who was doing her best to wrap her head around the sudden revelation. This entire time Alexis had been looking for __her__. That didn't sit well with her at all.

"But...why? Why me?" Bonnibel breathed, confusion and shock mingling and sending her mind into turmoil. She felt the beginnings of another headache stirring. After pinching the bridge of her nose she looked up at Alexis, who wore a thoughtful frown as if she was honestly searching for the answer. As the brunette licked her lips Bonnibel narrowed her eyes, noticing that the split on her lip that had been fresh a few days prior was now almost completely healed.

"I...do not know. I just know that you're important. All of you are." Alexis said, her voice soft. She blinked a few times before she spoke again. "I have been having issues remembering things since the day of the explosion. All I am certain of is that the threat made by William Lichman is legitimate..." She paused and looked around the room. "...And that I need your help to stop him."

Phoebe scoffed. The rest of the group, with the exception of Leslie (who seemed rather uninterested with anything other than Finn), exchanged glances of uncertainty. Marceline set her plate aside and addressed Alexis with nothing but the utmost concern.

"What kind of help do you need?"

"The first step is to find Lichman. I've been unable to do so on my own. He is very cautious when it comes to his movements." Alexis explained. A grin crept across Marceline's face, as if the young woman had thought of the perfect solution to the problem. Bonnibel knew what the woman was thinking, and she was vehemently opposed.

"No. Not him. Anybody but him, Marceline." the blonde remarked with a shake of her head.

"C'mon, Bonnie. He's the best option at this point!" Marceline insisted. "I know that he and I haven't really seen eye to eye on a lot of things in the past, and I know what a dick he can be, but when it comes to helping me out when I really need it he won't let me down."

"You're not talking about who I think you are, right?" Lorraine asked with a frown as she set her own plate aside and crossed her arms.

"Come on, guys! Seriously! My dad's done a lot of really shitty things in the past, but he'd never hang me out to dry if I honestly needed him." Marceline said defensively, a bit of a frown darkening her features. Bonnibel wasn't sure if she was trying to convince the group or if she was trying to convince herself. Then again, Hunson Abadeer had never done anything that would have put his daughter in jeopardy. And as the founder and CEO of the world's leading technological research and development corporation he did have the resources to help them out when it came to tracking down Lichman.

"We cannot afford not to utilize any instruments at our disposal. Lichman gave the world three weeks. This means that we have three weeks to stop him by any means necessary." Alexis said, her tone severe. She let out a small sigh before setting her plate aside and standing. The brunette made her way towards the closet door and the entrance to the bunker, turning to look over her shoulder before she spoke. "If you feel as though your father will prove valuable in this endeavor then I do not believe that we have any other options. My own efforts have proven fruitless. When you are ready to contact him meet me in the bunker. I will set up a secure line in the meantime."

After Alexis disappeared into the bunker Bonnibel turned to Marceline with a scowl on her face.

"Marceline...are you serious right now? Your _father_ , of _all_ people, is the person you turn to for this?" she asked angrily, eyes searching the woman's face for the punchline that was long past due.

"Yes! I mean, if there's anybody out there who can help us, it's him!" Marceline replied both defensive and angry.

"I like how you say 'us'..." Phoebe grumbled, her arms crossed tight over her chest. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I want no part in this. I just want to get back to my life and pretend like none of this ever happened."

"No offense, but I really don't think that's an option for any of us anymore. We all saw the same broadcast. At this point I don't see any reason why we shouldn't trust Alexis. I mean, sure, we don't really know all that much, but has she steered us wrong yet?" Lorraine asked.

"Raine and I talked about it the other night," Jake added, a solemn expression on his face. He scratched at his stubble before he continued. "We figure that if Lichman's legit about his threat that we really don't have much of a choice. If Alexis needs our help then we're willing to help her." He looked around the room, his brown eyes almost pleading. "We'd like to think that you guys would have our backs too."

"You know I'm in, bro!" Finn declared, standing from his seat on the couch with a confident smirk on his face. Leslie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"If Finn's in I __guess__ I am too," she scoffed, no doubt generally displeased at the very idea.

"Alexis said that Lichman's serious, so that sort of makes my decision for me." Marceline said with a grin. She nodded towards Jake and Lorraine. "Count me in." Her reddish-brown eyes found their way to Bonnibel. "How about you, Bonnie?"

"I..." The blonde really didn't know what to say. If there was anything they could do to stop the end of the world she'd be remiss in her duties as a responsible citizen and as a human being if she declined, right? But what could she do? What could any of them do? Alexis had given then some vague story about how they _may_ have some kind of superhuman abilities, but where was the evidence? But Marceline elected to help. That in itself had the blonde's mind made up. There was no way she was going to let Marceline throw herself in the line of fire without being there to personally provide backup. "Yeah. I'll help."

All eyes were on Phoebe at that point. The redhead shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the slightest hint of a blush graced her cheeks. After a moment she heaved a sigh of frustration.

"Well, if all of you are going ahead with this I guess I am too. God, this is just like high school. You guys were always convincing me to do stupid shit..." she grumbled.

"It'll be just like old times, then! And don't try to say you didn't have fun." Finn insisted with a bit of a chuckle. Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"I guess that settles it, then!" Marceline exclaimed, setting her own plate aside and standing. "We're in this until the end!"

After hums of agreement she elected to head down to the bunker to contact her father, requesting that Bonnibel go with her for moral support. Of course the blonde agreed. She understood how strained the relationship between Hunson and Marceline was. It had been that way since the woman was a child, starting with the death of her mother. It wasn't something that either of the remaining Abadeers had dealt with well. They took it out on one another mostly, though in Marceline's case her animosity towards her father was more because the man had essentially stopped being a father after the death of his wife.

Bonnibel had heard all of the stories. In her childhood and teenage years Marceline would go days and sometimes weeks in the care of various nannies and other staff that Hunson had hired to look after his daughter while he handled business with his company. It had apparently been his way of coping with his loss. In the process he neglected to see that his only child was suffering as well. This experience had a lasting negative effect on Marceline, as it would anyone. Any time the topic was brought up and she told a story she would always say that no child should have to mourn that way on their own, should have to grow up with a parent that refused to be there. Bonnibel was inclined to agree.

The conversation with Hunson was rather short and to the point. Afterward Marceline recounted the details. The man said that he was more than happy to assist, and that the group could meet him at one of the distribution centers that was rarely used on the outskirts of the city. From what Marceline said, he seemed more than happy to help them out, expressing a great deal of concern with the fact that her picture and name had been shown on global television in the same breath as a terrorist threat against humanity.

Preparations didn't take long. Alexis insisted that the group go with whatever weapons and ammo they had. This consisted of the remnants of what they'd secured during their escape from the research complex (thought that supply was almost dry) and the few hunting rifles kept in the cabin. They loaded the beat up SUV and headed out. Bonnibel made mention that it may have been in the brunette's best interest if she stay behind given her injuries, but the woman refused and gave them the ultimatum that she accompany them or they weren't going at all, giving a thinly veiled threat that she would disable the vehicle. It didn't sit well with the blonde but she found herself unable to argue. It was almost like arguing with herself, and that was something she knew would go nowhere.

Alexis drove through a series of back roads leading through the Wilderness Preserve before finally entering the city. The route she'd taken brought them within a few blocks of the distribution center where they were to meet with Hunson. When they arrived they found the parking lot empty. The entire place had an almost eerie silence that hung in the air as the building towered over them, empty windows staring down at them like so many dead eyes set into a cold, concrete face. Based on the shuffling the group did it was obvious that everyone had taken notice of it. They were all on edge.

That feeling of collective anxiety didn't waver any as the group filed out of the bullet-riddled SUV and made their way into the warehouse. They trudged through the floor room and found their way to the offices, each of them with the exception of Leslie holding a weapon. It had Bonnibel wondering why they'd even brought her along in the first place. She was turning out to be rather useless. All the same, she was there, and even Bonnibel couldn't deny that they were probably going to need all of the help they could get. Alexis had said it best, they could not afford to not utilize any resources they had.

Marceline lead the way, opening the door that lead to a small windowless office tucked into the back of the building, probably having belonged to one of the lower-level floor supervisors. The only things inside of the office were a few filing cabinets and a computer that sat atop a rather cheap desk. Behind the desk sat none other than the very man they were set to meet. Hunson Abadeer. Even sitting down in what he probably considered a casual manner, the man was imposing. His pressed suit and well-groomed dark hair always gave him the air of professionalism he'd worked to cultivate his entire life. It was an image that he prided himself on and refused to allow be sullied in any way. A pair of simple glasses sat on his nose, though it didn't seem he needed them as he was watching the group over the top of the frames. His fingers were tented as he eyed them all one by one, his oddly sinister gaze finally coming to rest on his daughter.

"Marceline. It's nice to see you." Hunson remarked, his voice as stiff as his posture.

Marceline shifted a bit under her father's scrutinizing watch before she responded. "Yeah, you too. So, uh...You said you were down with helping us?"

Hunson hummed in response and nodded before standing. At the same time, the door they'd entered through and the only other door in the office opened. In both doorways stood a team of men, each of them armed with rifles, sunglasses concealing most of their faces. Bonnibel felt her blood run cold. She knew that Hunson's offer to help them had to be too good to be true, but she hadn't expected this. But who could predict that the man would turn his daughter over to the very same people who were after her? Hunson had never come across as cowardly, the kind of person to sell out family to save his own skin.

"D-dad!? What the hell!?" Marceline shouted as she looked from both doorways and then to her father, the panic splayed on her face morphing into realization and then betrayal.

Hunson let out a sigh. Before he could speak Alexis hurled herself forward, her normally calm demeanor shattered in a fit of rage. A crack rang out as her fist hit Hunson square on the jaw with enough force to throw his glasses from his face. Before she could follow up with another punch two of the "men" in the suits moved on her, one of them wrapping and arm around her neck and throwing her onto her rear while the other trained his rifle between the brunette's eyes.

"How uncouth." Hunson grumbled, retrieving his glasses from where they'd landed on the floor. He cleaned them off before placing them back on his nose, straightening his tie as he glared down at Alexis. There was no doubt that he wanted to strike her, Bonnibel could see the fantasies playing out in his eyes, but his unwavering 'professionalism' would never let him do so. After a moment he cleared his throat, dark eyes going to Marceline whose face was frozen in an incredulous stare aimed in his direction.

"Don't worry, Marceline. They're not here for you. I managed to negotiate with Lichman. He agreed to allow you to remain free as long as I turned over your...friends..."

"Are you fucking kidding me!? I come to you for help and you pull _this_!?" Marceline screamed. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she shook with rage.

"It's better this way. You know I only want what's best for you, sweetie." Hunson said, his gaze softening with his attempt at appealing to her emotions.

"How the fuck do you know what's best for me!?" Marceline roared. "You don't know the first thing about me!"

"You're my daughter. I think I know enough about you to know that these people have been holding you back and getting you involved in things you shouldn't be." the man said, furrowing his brow as he persisted. He stepped around the desk and placed a hand on Marceline's shoulder that she promptly slapped away.

"Well, you're fucking delusional! You always have been, just like when you tried to hook me up with that loser desk jockey despite the fact that I'm a flaming homo!" she yelled. This made Bonnibel freeze, her breath catching in her throat. Had Marceline just said she was gay? It was so typical that it had to happen just as everyone but her was about to be carted off for what was more than likely an execution. "You're the worst! As far as I'm concerned, I don't even HAVE a father!"

At this Hunson merely chuckled, adjusting his glasses on his face with an almost nostalgic sigh. "Ah, you're just like your mother. You've got so much of her spirit, you know. Always so willful..."

"Don't you fucking talk about her, you piece of sh-"

"I know it's hard to understand now, Marceline." Hunson began, cutting the woman off. Apparently he was finished with any attempts at diplomacy and was now putting his foot down, his mind being made up long before. "One day you'll see that this was all for the best. When you're the head of the company you're going to look back and thank me for what happened here today." He turned to the suits and nodded, straightening his tie. "You can take them away now."

The men filed into the room, each of them with their weapons raised. Two of the men had to stay back, guns trained on Marceline to prevent her from following Bonnibel and the others as their weapons were taken and they were escorted out of the office. Bonnibel cast one last look back through the open door to see Marceline weeping silently as she watched, each and every one of them helpless to prevent what was happening. If this was going to be the last time they saw each other then the blonde wanted to make sure she tried to make it as good as she could, forcing a watery smile onto her face. Somehow, even with tears streaming down her cheeks, Marceline managed to be as beautiful as ever.


End file.
